Who REALLY invented the periodic table?
TLDRThis video explores the history of the periodic table, challenging the common belief that Dmitri Mendeleev was its sole inventor. The script delves into early periodic table iterations by chemists like William Odling and John Newlands, and even an earlier attempt by Alexandre-Émile Beguilla. It highlights Mendeleev's significant contributions, including accurate predictions of undiscovered elements, which brought him fame. The video also showcases a unique collection of early chemistry books and periodic tables, revealing a fascinating narrative of scientific discovery and recognition.
Takeaways
- 📚 The script discusses the history of the periodic table, challenging the common belief that Dmitri Mendeleev was its sole inventor.
- 🔍 It mentions Saint Catherine's College, Cambridge, where chemist Peter Waters has a unique collection of early books about the periodic table, including some of Mendeleev's works.
- 📖 The first published periodic table by Mendeleev is featured in his textbook 'System of Chemistry', with elements arranged based on atomic weight and chemical properties, but differently from the modern table.
- 🌐 Mendeleev's periodic table initially had horizontal groups and even included a non-existent element 'dedium', which was later resolved.
- 🔄 The script highlights the evolution of Mendeleev's table, showing a transition from horizontal to vertical arrangements in subsequent volumes of his textbook.
- 🔮 Mendeleev is famous for predicting properties of undiscovered elements, which was a significant factor in the acceptance of his periodic system.
- 📰 The first announcement of Mendeleev's system in English appeared in the 'Chemical News', albeit with some errors and oversights.
- 👀 The script points out that the recognition of scientific breakthroughs can be slow, as was the case with Mendeleev's periodic table.
- 🇬🇧 It also brings up the work of English chemist William Odling, who published a similar table five years before Mendeleev, but did not receive the same recognition.
- 📈 The script introduces Alexandre Emile Beguilla, a French mineralogist who created a helical periodic table seven years before Mendeleev, but his work was not widely recognized due to lack of visibility and diagrammatic representation.
- 🌐 The video transcript concludes with a discussion on the importance of not only discovering something but also effectively promoting it to ensure its impact on future generations.
Q & A
Who is credited with inventing the periodic table?
-Dmitri Mendeleev is widely credited with inventing the periodic table, but the script suggests that there were other scientists who contributed to its development.
What is unique about the periodic table featured in Mendeleev's first textbook?
-Mendeleev's first periodic table, featured in the first volume of his textbook 'System of Chemistry', is unique because it was added into the already printed books, and it arranged the elements horizontally based on their atomic weight and chemical properties.
What is the significance of the periodic table's arrangement in Mendeleev's second volume?
-In the second volume of Mendeleev's textbook, the periodic table is arranged vertically, which is more recognizable to modern eyes and signifies a shift towards the structure of the current periodic table.
What was Mendeleev's approach to classifying elements in his periodic table?
-Mendeleev classified elements in his periodic table based on their atomic weight and chemical properties, and he also made predictions about the properties of undiscovered elements, which later turned out to be accurate.
Why was Mendeleev's periodic table not immediately recognized as a breakthrough?
-Mendeleev's periodic table was not immediately recognized because it was published in a textbook and not in a widely circulated scientific journal, and it took time for the scientific community to notice and validate his predictions about undiscovered elements.
Who is William Odling, and what is his contribution to the periodic table?
-William Odling was an English chemist who published a table arranging elements by atomic weight five years before Mendeleev's first published table. However, his work did not gain as much attention or influence as Mendeleev's.
What is the 'Law of Octaves' associated with John Newlands?
-John Newlands' 'Law of Octaves' is an early attempt to arrange elements in order of increasing atomic weight, where every eighth element had similar properties, resembling the musical octave.
What was the first periodic table ever published, and who created it?
-The first periodic table ever published was created by Alexandre-Émile Beguillaum, a French mineralogist, and it was arranged in a helical format around a cylinder.
Why did Mendeleev's periodic table gain more recognition than those of his contemporaries?
-Mendeleev's periodic table gained more recognition due to his accurate predictions of the properties of undiscovered elements and his active promotion of the table as his discovery.
What is the role of saliva in conservation, as mentioned in the script?
-Saliva is used in conservation as a gentle cleaning agent due to its composition of 99% water and 1% enzymes, which break down dirt without damaging the artifact.
Outlines
🔍 Mendeleev's Periodic Table Origins
This paragraph explores the history of the periodic table, challenging the common belief that Dmitri Mendeleev was its sole inventor. It delves into Mendeleev's first published periodic table featured in his textbook 'System of Chemistry', highlighting its initial horizontal arrangement and the inclusion of non-existent elements like 'dedium'. The discussion also touches on the evolution of Mendeleev's table, his last-minute additions to the textbook, and the significance of his predictions for undiscovered elements.
📜 Early Periodic Table Publications and Predictions
The focus shifts to the early publications of the periodic table, including Mendeleev's detailed predictions for undiscovered elements that garnered attention. It mentions the first English report in 'Chemical News' by William Crookes and the initial lack of recognition for Mendeleev's work. The paragraph also uncovers Mendeleev's master's thesis, hinting at his early considerations of atomic weights and chemical organization, and discusses the addition of noble gases in later editions of his textbook.
🌐 International Contributions to the Periodic Table's Development
This section examines the contributions of other scientists to the development of the periodic table, notably the English chemist William Odling and the French mineralogist Alexandre-Émile Beguyer de Chancourtois. It compares their tables with Mendeleev's, noting similarities and differences, and discusses the challenges they faced in gaining recognition for their work. The importance of publishing in accessible journals and the role of accurate predictions for missing elements in the acceptance of the periodic table are also highlighted.
📚 Rare Historical Periodic Table Editions
The paragraph showcases rare historical editions of the periodic table, including Mendeleev's presentation copy to Alexander Crum Brown and the unique arrangement by Beguyer de Chancourtois, which was ahead of its time but did not gain widespread recognition. It discusses the significance of these historical documents, their rarity, and the peculiarities of their publication, such as the large format of Beguyer's table that could not be included in standard journal articles.
🎨 The Helical Arrangement of Elements by de Chancourtois
This section introduces de Chancourtois's innovative helical arrangement of elements on a cylindrical model, predating Mendeleev's work. It describes the unique visual representation of the periodic table and the challenges faced in determining accurate atomic weights, which led to inconsistencies in the table. The paragraph also reflects on the historical impact of various scientists' contributions to the periodic table and the factors that influenced their recognition.
🌐 Sponsorship and Modern Representation of the Periodic Table
The final paragraph steps away from history to discuss the creation of a modern periodic table using Wix, the sponsor of the episode. It highlights the ease of use and customization options of the Wix platform for building websites, including the periodicvideos.net site. The paragraph also touches on the practical use of saliva as a cleaning agent in conservation, providing a surprising connection to the theme of the video.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Periodic Table
💡Dmitri Mendeleev
💡Atomic Weight
💡Chemical Properties
💡Wix
💡Periodic Law
💡Predictions of Missing Elements
💡William Odling
💡Alexandre-Émile Beguillet
💡Law of Octaves
💡PeriodicVideos.net
Highlights
Wix sponsored the episode on the history and development of the periodic table.
Mendeleev's periodic table was not the first; it was based on atomic weight and chemical properties.
Mendeleev's first periodic table was published in his textbook 'System of Chemistry'.
Mendeleev's initial table had horizontal group arrangements, unlike the modern periodic table.
Mendeleev included a non-existent element 'dedium' in his first table, which was later resolved.
Mendeleev's table was added to already printed textbooks, showing the urgency of his discovery.
Mendeleev's second volume of 'System of Chemistry' rearranged the periodic table to a more modern vertical layout.
Mendeleev named his table the 'Natural System of the Elements', attaching his name to the concept.
Mendeleev's predictions of properties for undiscovered elements drew attention to his periodic system.
The first announcement of Mendeleev's system in English was in the 'Chemical News' in 1869.
William Odling's periodic table predated Mendeleev's by five years but did not gain the same recognition.
Odling's table was published in a journal without a diagram, limiting its visibility.
John Newlands' 'Law of Octaves' was another early attempt at a periodic table but also did not gain widespread acceptance.
Alexandre-Émile Beguilla is credited with the first periodic table, seven years before Mendeleev, but it was not widely recognized.
Beguilla's table was arranged in a helical pattern on a cylinder, a unique approach to the periodic table's layout.
Mendeleev's influence was significant due to his detailed predictions and promotion of the periodic law.
The episode demonstrates the importance of not just discovery, but also communication and promotion of scientific ideas.
Wix is highlighted as a tool for creating websites, as used by the show to build periodicvideos.net.
The episode concludes with a discussion on the importance of saliva in conservation as a gentle cleaning agent.
Transcripts
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