Some Dimitri Mendeleiev's Contributions Most important are the periodic table of elements, studies on petroleum or the introduction of the metric system in Russia.
Dimitri Mendeleiev Was an illustrious scientist who brought great discoveries for the science of Europe and the world. He is responsible for some of the major advances in this area and is awarded many of the most important and innovative ideas that transformed science and the modern world forever.
He was born in Russia on February 8, 1834. He was the youngest of 14 children in a lower middle class family, who lived in the industrial area of cold Siberia.
After the death of his father and the fire of the family factory, he moved to St. Petersburg where he was able to obtain specialized formal education.
He worked for years with different institutions of his country in great positions of teaching and research focused on chemistry. By 1870, he was already recognized as responsible for transforming St. Petersburg into a specialized center for scientific research.
The main scientific contributions of Mendeleev
Metric system introduction
Due to his success in the research areas of different institutes of the country, Mendeleiev became a strong scientific authority in Europe.
With his effort, he introduced and established the metric system in the Russian empire, in addition to inventing the pyrocolodium gunpowder for the Royal Navy.
Standard Form of Vodka Preparation
In 1865 he received his doctorate in science for his dissertation on"Combinations of alcohol and water".
This fascination with molecular weights culminated in different contributions, including the standardized way of preparing vodka, which was even passed as a law by the government in 1894, which states that the drink should be prepared with 40% alcohol of the total Of its volume.
Spectroscopy study
He studied in depth the function of the spectroscope, a useful instrument for breaking down light into its spectrum.
His first book was on this subject, and was critically acclaimed by the scientific society. In his academic career, he also wrote the most important book at the time on the study of chemistry: Principles of Chemistry (1868-1870).
Studies on the composition of petroleum
His general studies on the composition of oil - due to his interest in liquids - also made him responsible for major industrial developments, laying the foundations and co-founding the first oil refinery in Russia.
The periodic table
While writing his book on the principles of chemistry, Mendeleev noted certain patterns that gave rise to the creation of his acclaimed periodic table of elements, an early prototype on which the table is based today as we know it.
It was 1869, and the atomic structure was technically unknown to science. However, Mendeleev thought that the elements were related to each other by characteristics such as their atomic weight, even going so far as to"predict"the existence of elements still unknown based on these characteristics.
This structure established, for example, that if the elements are arranged according to their atomic mass, the periodic properties came to light.
At first, the table did not cause a crash, but when other researchers managed to identify the"lost elements"that Mendeleiev predicted with great precision, the periodic table would become one of the most important contributions to chemistry, since it gave structure to something Never before categorized, as the vast features of the elements.
For many years, he witnessed colossal discoveries of new elements, and in spite of fearing that some of these would jeopardize their structure, over time they could be incorporated without creating any significant alteration to the table.
Mendeleev even witnessed in 1900 how the identification of noble gases fitted perfectly into his system, thus creating a new column between halogens and alkalis.
Studies on liquids
For Mendeleev, one of his greatest interests was the characteristics of liquids. He investigated the effects of heat on liquids and how they expand, anticipating even studies that would be done later on.
Thanks to his fascination with oil, he established in 1877 correctly that the origin of the hydrocarbons was in the depths of the earth and that is where their search should be concentrated. One could say that the scientist focused his study on compounds and solutions.
Due to the impetus that he presented in technical studies like the measurements, the calibration and the general analysis, was named founder of the metrology in Russia, that is the aspect of the science that is dedicated to the standardization and description of measures, among other characteristics.
Despite his invaluable contributions to chemistry, Mendeleev's work branched out into countless areas of science, with a great performance in each of them.
He had important repercussions in geology, hydrodynamics, meteorology and physics, without neglecting his contributions to the Russian economy even with his theories on agriculture and trade protection.
Mendeleev's legacy to the world
Dmitri Mendeleev died in St. Petersburg in 1907 because of influenza. Due to the political context of Russia, the loss of Mendeleev did not cause the shock that would be expected for someone of his size, due to his liberal ideas and constant criticism of the severity of the system in his academic years, since He strongly supported educational reform.
As a legacy, it leaves perhaps the most iconic symbol of chemistry and science: the periodic table, which can be represented in every classroom and laboratory.
His studies on the dissolution of alcohol make him, according to some, the father of vodka as we know him, and he was always dedicated to spreading his knowledge inside and outside Europe.
Today, there remains in his honor the lunar crater that was baptized with his name, and the mendelevio, also denominated like"element 101"in the periodic table.
References
- BBC Media (2017) The periodic table. Bitesize . Retrieved from bbc.co.uk.
- Chem Europe (s.f.) Dmitri Mendeleev. Chem Europe . Recovered from chemeurope.com.
- Corrosion Doctors (s.f.) Dmitri Mendeleev (1834-1907). Corrosion Doctors Biographies . Retrieved from corrosion-doctors.org
- The Doc (s.f.) Dmitri Mendeleev. Famous Scientists: the art of genius . Retrieved from famousscientists.org
- Universidad Complutense (2012) Chemistry in the world. Annals of Medical Hydrology. Volume 5- (1), pp. 113-134.