Fun Facts

Dmitri Mendeleev between 1880 and 1882

  1. Periodic Table Creator: Dmitri Mendeleev is best known for creating the Periodic Table of Elements in 1869.
  2. Predicted Elements: Mendeleev left gaps in his Periodic Table, predicting the discovery of new elements, such as gallium, scandium, and germanium.
  3. Education Journey: He studied at the Main Pedagogical Institute in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
  4. Large Family: He was the youngest of 17 children in his family.
  5. Science Lover: Mendeleev's passion for chemistry began early in his life, inspired by his mother.
  6. Beyond Chemistry: He made contributions to other fields, including physics, hydrodynamics, meteorology, and the oil industry.
  7. Insoluble Substances: Mendeleev investigated solutions and established the concept of "critical temperature" for gases.
  8. Tsarist Russia: He served as the Director of the Bureau of Weights and Measures under the Russian Tsar.
  9. Mendeleev's Vodka: He created a formula for the ideal strength of vodka, at 40% alcohol by volume.
  10. Periodic Law: His Periodic Law stated that the properties of elements are a periodic function of their atomic weights.
  11. Travel Ban: Mendeleev was once denied travel to Western Europe by the Russian government.
  12. Textbook Author: He wrote a comprehensive chemistry textbook called "Principles of Chemistry."
  13. First Wife: His first marriage was to Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva in 1862.
  14. Second Wife: Mendeleev married Anna Ivanovna Popova in 1882, who was 26 years younger than him.
  15. Aerodynamics: He had a deep interest in aerodynamics and even made a solo flight in a hot air balloon to study a solar eclipse.
  16. Mineral Namesake: The mineral mendeleevite is named in his honor.
  17. Academic Rejection: Despite his contributions, he was never elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences.
  18. Periodic Table Design: His original Periodic Table had elements arranged by atomic weight, not atomic number.
  19. Scientific Recognition: He received the Copley Medal from the Royal Society in 1905.
  20. Legacy: Element 101, mendelevium, is named in his honor, reflecting his lasting impact on the field of chemistry.