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- 01/25/2019

Periodic Table: 150th anniversary of its creation by Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleev

TKS News

Teknoscienze Publisher and Staff proudly associate with the celebrations of the International Year of the Periodic Table

 

Before the promulgation of the periodic law, the chemical elements were mere fragmentary incidental facts in nature; there was no special reason to expect the discovery of new elements, and the new ones which were discovered from time to time appeared to be possessed of quite novel properties. The law of periodicity first enabled us to perceive undiscovered elements at a distance which formerly were inaccessible to chemical vision, and long ere they were discovered new elements appeared before our eyes possessed of a number of well-defined properties.“ [Dmitry Mendeleev in Faraday Lecture, delivered before the Fellows of the Chemical Society in the Theatre of the Royal Institution, 4 Jun 1889]

The International Year of the Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements coincides with the Centenary of IUPAC (IUPAC100). The events of IUPAC100 and of IYPT enhance the understanding and appreciation of the Periodic Table and chemistry in general among the public. 

1869 is considered as the year of discovery of the Periodic System by the Russian chemist Dimitry Mendeleev. With 2019 marking the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated 2019 the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT). 

 

The origins of the periodic table go back to Dmitri Mendeleev. Faced with the discovery of an ever-increasing number of elements to replace the four credited in Medieval times, it was clear there was a need to find a way to organize them. Mendeleev’s structure was based on similarities in chemical behavior. He used it to predict the properties of then-unknown elements in the gaps, a tradition many chemists followed. Although the reasons for the table’s patterns were then unknown, the recognition of their existence helped lead the way to the explanation in the form or the behavior of elements’ valence electrons. The development of the Periodic Table of the Elements is one of the most significant achievements in science and a uniting scientific concept, with broad implications in Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and other natural sciences.

 

Chemical Elements play a vital role in our daily lives and are crucial for humankind and our planet, and for industry. The International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements will give an opportunity to show how they are central to linking cultural, economic and political aspects of the global society through a common language, whilst also celebrating the genesis and development of the periodic table over the last 150 years. It is critical that the brightest young minds continue to be attracted to chemistry and physics in order to ensure the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators in this field. Particular areas where the Periodic Table and its understanding have had a revolutionary impact are in nuclear medicine, the study of chemical elements and compounds in space and the prediction of novel materials.