Mendeleev autobiography

Amazon Review

An academic biography, Michael D Gordin's A Well-Ordered Thing tells Dmitrii Mendeleev's story in dense prose, detailed with Russian history and molecular chemistry. Mendeleev will forever be remembered as the inventor of the periodic table of the elements, which sorts hydrogen, helium, lithium and so on according to their weights and properties. Readers unfamiliar with either the periodic table or the politics of imperial Russia will have a tough go of it. Nevertheless, Gordin's treatment reveals surprising facts about the enigmatic Mendeleev and his social context: "The periodic system was developed in Russia by an individual who was trying to bring order to a Russian society that was apparently disintegrating In order to understand the building of this part of modern chemistry, one must come to terms with the attempts to create a modern Russia."

Far from a stereotypically isolated scientist surrounded by bubbling beakers and cryptic lore, the "ambitious and energetic" Mendeleev was a very public figure. He involved himself eagerly in the social problems of the day and participated actively in trying to shape a new society. His pursuits included hot-air balloons, art criticism, debunking spiritualists and perfecting systems of every kind. When he hit on the idea of periodicity in the elements, he published his table first in a chemistry textbook, later submitting papers to other scientists once his confidence allowed him to make predictions of elements yet to be discovered. Gordin paints Mendeleev as a consummate imperial who was shocked by the revolution that toppled the tsar. This complex civil servant and brilliant scientist deserves wider appreciation and A Well-Ordered Thing provides a rich context for examination of Mendeleev's life. --Therese Littleton,

About the Author

Michael D. Gordin is an assistant professor in the history department at Princeton University, where he teaches the history of science and Imperial Russian history. A

  • 5 interesting facts about dmitri mendeleev
  • Dmitri mendeleev contribution to the periodic table
  • What did dmitri mendeleev discover

    • A Well-Ordered Thing: Dmitrii Mendeleev and the Shadow of the Periodic Table, Revised Edition

    "Fascinating."—Publishers Weekly

    "The periodic chart now hangs on the wall of countless classrooms, and occupies textbooks, websites and T-shirts. . . . Working long before nuclear scientists reached Los Alamos, Mendeleev was this kingdom’s first successful cartographer."—Simon Schaffer, London Review of Books

    "Engaging. . . . [T]he most comprehensive biography in English about Mendeleev."—Ursula Klein, Physics Today

    "Highly readable."—Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent, Nature

    "This fine book presents a compelling portrait of Mendeleev as a Russian thinker, a member of the small cohort of Petersburg elite who shaped Russian science, politics, and culture. . . . For anyone interested in Mendeleev or the place of science in late nineteenth-century Russia, this is required reading."—Mark B. Adams, Slavic Review

    "A serious and interesting exploration of the life and times of Dmitrii Mendeleev."—Carmen Giunta, Foundations of Chemistry

  • Dmitri mendeleev interesting facts
      • Mendeleev autobiography

    Biography of Dmitri Mendeleev

    Dmitri Mendeleev, the Russian chemist and inventor, is best known as the creator of the periodic table, a groundbreaking tool that revolutionized the field of chemistry. Born in in Siberia, Mendeleev's early fascination with science and perseverance led him to uncover the underlying order of chemical elements. This biography traces his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a key figure in scientific history. Mendeleev's periodic table not only organized known elements but also predicted the existence of those yet to be discovered. Beyond his achievements in chemistry, Mendeleev contributed to fields like meteorology and industrial processes. This book explores his life, scientific innovations, and enduring legacy as a visionary who changed the way we understand the natural world.

    Biography of Dmitri Mendeleev, Inventor of the Periodic Table

    Dmitri Mendeleev (February 8, –February 2, ) was a Russian scientist best known for devising the modern periodic table of elements. Mendeleev also made major contributions to other areas of chemistry, metrology (the study of measurements), agriculture, and industry.

    Fast Facts: Dmitri Mendeleev

    • Known For: Creating the Periodic Law and Periodic Table of the Elements
    • Born: February 8, in Verkhnie Aremzyani, Tobolsk Governorate, Russian Empire
    • Parents: Ivan Pavlovich Mendeleev, Maria Dmitrievna Kornilieva
    • Died: February 2, in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
    • Education: Saint Petersburg University
    • Published Works: Principles of Chemistry
    • Awards and Honors: Davy Medal, ForMemRS 
    • Spouse(s): Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva, Anna Ivanovna Popova
    • Children: Lyubov, Vladimir, Olga, Anna, Ivan
    • Notable Quote: "I saw in a dream a table where all elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper, only in one place did a correction later seem necessary."

    Early Life

    Mendeleev was born on February 8, , in Tobolsk, a town in Siberia, Russia. He was the youngest of a large Russian Orthodox Christian family. The exact size of the family is a matter of dispute, with sources putting the number of siblings between 11 and His father was Ivan Pavlovich Mendeleev, a glass manufacturer, and his mother was Dmitrievna Kornilieva.

    In the same year that Dmitri was born, his father went blind. He died in His mother took on the management of the glass factory, but it burned down just a year later. To provide her son with an education, Dmitri's mother brought him to St. Petersburg and enrolled him in the Main Pedagogical Institute. Soon after, Dmitri's mother died.

    Education

    Dmitri graduated from the Institute in and then went on to earn a masters degree in education. He received a fellowship from the government to con