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Periodic Table Turns 150 Years Old (economist.com)
The Economist tells the story of how French chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier came to publish the first putatively comprehensive list of chemical elements -- substances incapable of being broken down by chemical reactions into other substances -- known today as the periodic table. It was Lavoisier and his wife Marie-Anne who pioneered the technique of measuring quantitatively what went into and came out of a chemical reaction, as a way of getting to the heart of what such a reaction really is. "Where the story of the periodic table of the elements really starts is debatable," reports The Economist, "but Lavoisier's laboratory is as good a place as any to begin..." Here's an excerpt from the report: Lavoisier's list of elements, published in 1789, five years before his execution, had 33 entries. Of those, 23 -- a fifth of the total now recognized -- have stood the test of time. Some, like gold, iron and sulphur, had been known since ancient days. Others, like manganese, molybdenum and tungsten, were recent discoveries. What the list did not have was a structure. It was, avant la lettre, a stamp collection. But the album was missing.
Creating that album, filling it and understanding why it is the way it is took a century and a half. It is now, though, a familiar feature of every high-school science laboratory. Its rows and columns of rectangles, each containing a one- or two-letter abbreviation of the name of an element, together with its sequential atomic number, represent an order and underlying structure to the universe that would have astonished Lavoisier. It is little exaggeration to say that almost everything in modern science is connected, usually at only one or two removes, to the periodic table.
Creating that album, filling it and understanding why it is the way it is took a century and a half. It is now, though, a familiar feature of every high-school science laboratory. Its rows and columns of rectangles, each containing a one- or two-letter abbreviation of the name of an element, together with its sequential atomic number, represent an order and underlying structure to the universe that would have astonished Lavoisier. It is little exaggeration to say that almost everything in modern science is connected, usually at only one or two removes, to the periodic table.
in Russia, and then republished in Germany the next year. The "table" of Lavoisier was a much simpler affair, which was pretty far from what a "periodic table" is. It had "elements" in it like "fire", "light", "caloric" and complex molecules.
But let's forget the science and go for the propaganda.
Happy Birthdayium!
Table-ized A.I.
This is totally irrelevant to the point of the OP. The PERIODIC LAW, which is the reason why the periodic table is called periodic in the first place was discovered by Mendeleev, and not by Lavoisier. Celebrating the latter as the creator of the periodic table just because he made a table of sorts is beyond ridiculous.
But then, it is the Economist, which is hardly famous for the scientific education of its authors.
Sure, the "moron" debunked the wildly popular phlogiston theory and discovered hydrogen and oxygen. He put chemistry on its way to uncovering the nature of specific gravity with his focus on weights and gases, at a time when one was unorthodox and the other virtually unknown.
He did all of this prior to America becoming a nation, before anything faster than a horse carriage was available to share ideas over land.
But sure, he's a "moron" according to people like who know nothing of history or science.
Well, thanks for repeating the famous Isaac Newton quote, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." Mendeleev saw further than the people who worked before him, and that is why the periodic table is named after him.
What you misunderstood about it from reading Wikipedia just to post a comment here is your own problem.
Celebrating the latter as the creator of the periodic table just because he made a table of sorts is beyond ridiculous.
Yeah it would if anyone did that.
But then, it is the Economist, which is hardly famous for the scientific education of its authors.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGEEEE!!!
Since you haven't read TFA, let me inform you that your rage is misplaced. You could read it, or simply redirect your rage elsewhere.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
The story of the discovery of the elements, as briefly described in TFA is a fascinating one and I want more. What books on this subject can you recommend?
So it is more like a one time table then?
Read the fucking summary and get back to me.
RRAAAAAGGGGEEEE!!!
How on earth is the Economist supposed to be responsible for a summary of an article on a third party website? They're not but to admit so would spoil your delightfully righteous rage.
Why should I read an article about chemistry (or economics) in the Economist?
Because it is informative, interesting and well written.
It's kind of funny. You're incredibly angry about a summary someone posted and refuse to read the article which would show you that you're in fact making the wrong judgement of the article about it's summary.
Never, ever let the facts get in the way of a REALLY good hatefest.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
The fucking summary doesn't do a good job of summarizing the article. The article is 34 paragraphs long, 15 of which are devoted to Mendeleev.
And thanks to your prejudice, you've missed out on what's actually a really good summary of the history of the periodic table.
Tell you what you read the article and I'll fuck off. Since I know you're pathologically opposed to doing that (because hey you might be wrong and we can't be having with that), I think I'll stick around.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
what's actually a really good summary of the history of the periodic table.
I thought so too! Sort of makes me wonder how on earth they isolated elements without knowing either what they were looking for or having sophisticated equipment. I would love to read a longer history that went into all those nerdy details, plus the dead ends and partial discoveries.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
can be found here
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
It was the German doctor Mengeleev who discovered the periodic table. Unfortunately, a lot of innocent humans were sacrificed during the research, so it's the French and the Russians that get the limelight these days.
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
The execution of Lavoisier set the progress of chemistry back by decades.
The same person or small cabal has been in charge for 4-5 terms. That's not healthy even if they do fake a vote,
It seems to be "healthy" in the US for the Congress, which has a re-election rate above 90%...
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
And it was quite easy to stand on Lavoisier's shoulders, on account of him having no head to get in the way.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Your link may shows that it happens, but that says nowt one way nor t'other on his claim about it not being healthy.
Your logical fallacy is ignoratio elenchi. On top of that, tha can fuck reyt off.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium...
The Disappearing Spoon is a good read
horror vacui