Russia, 2009: Minisheet commemorating Dmitri
Mendeleev’s discovery of the Periodic Table of Elements
Dmitri Mendeleev, who passed away on 2 February 1907, in Saint Petersburg, aged 72, was a Russian chemist and inventor who is best known for formulating the Periodic Law and creating a version of the periodic table of elements. This table - which was arranged by atomic weight and presented the elements in a grid where elements in the same column exhibited similar chemical properties - was a significant breakthrough in the history of chemistry.
In his formulation of the Periodic Law, Mendeleev
predicted the properties of elements yet to be discovered. He left gaps in his
table for these elements, and remarkably, when they were discovered, their
properties matched Mendeleev's predictions. These accurate forecasts lent
significant credibility to his work and solidified the acceptance of the
periodic table.
Aside from his work on the periodic table,
Mendeleev made significant contributions to other areas of chemistry,
metrology, and technology. He also made efforts towards improving Russia's
higher education, and he advocated for modernization and industrialization in
Russia. The crater Mendeleev on the Moon, as well as element number 101, the
radioactive mendelevium, are named after him.
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