Scientific Discovery in Statu Nascendi: The Case of Mendeleev’s Periodic Law

Dmitriev, Igor

PII

S0205-96060000622-1-1

DOI

10.31857/S60000622-1-1

Publication type

Article

Status

Published

Authors

Igor Dmitriev

Volume/ Edition

Volume 22 / Issue 1

Pages

31-82

Abstract

The history of Mendeleev’s famous discovery has long been a matter of lively debate among the students of his work. This article proposes a new reading of this history, which differs from the well-known interpretations made by B. M. Kedrov, A. A. Makarenya, and D. N. Trifonov.

All these interpretations tend to reduce the discovery process to a single crucial event, namely, the appearance of Mendeleev’s “Attempt at [Establishing] a System of Elements Based on Their Atomic Weights and Chemical Properties” (dated February 17, 1869). However, the detailed study of Mendeleev’s work makes the author conclude that this event neither was the day of “one great discovery” (according to Kedrov), nor indicated the essential “completion of the discovery process” (as stated by Trifonov).By considering Mendeleev’s discovery of Periodic Law together with his painstaking search for the natural system of elements, the author identifies the three principal stages in his work on the Periodic System:(i) the discovery of the periodic character in dependence of the elements’ properties on their atomic weights (late 1868 - early 1869);(ii) the creation of “Attempt” as a temporary version of the system of elements (February 1869);(iii) the composition of the “Natural System of Elements” (fulfilled by November 1870).As argued by the author, the appearance of “Attempt” marked the beginning of a new phase in Mendeleev’s work: by that that time, he had already come to the conclusion that “the arrangement of elements according to their atomic weights does not contradict the natural similarity between elements, but points exactly to it.” At that point, Mendeleev was already able to formulate the first fundamental conclusions that would become the essence of his doctrine of Periodicity and even to make a graphic representation of the all-encompassing system of elements. At the same time, the “Attempt” revealed a lack of clear criteria for unifying elements of different classes into one group, and therefore was to be what the author calls a “compromise version” of Mendeleev’s Periodic System. The most difficult part of his work was still ahead; it was only by November of 1870 that Mendeleev finally solved the “unification problem,” formulating the basic principle of his system: “the natural distribution of elements into groups in accordance with their atomic weights corresponds to the quantity of oxygen that elements can bear in the highest degrees of their saline oxides.”

Keywords

Date of publication

01.03.2001

Number of purchasers

Views

121

References

GOST	Dmitriev I. Scientific Discovery in Statu Nascendi: The Case of Mendeleev’s Periodic Law // Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. – 2001. – V. 22. – Issue 1 C. 31-82 . URL: Дмитриев И. С. Научное открытие in statu nascendi: Периодический закон Д. И. Менделеева // Вопросы истории естествознания и техники – 2001. – Tом 22. – №1 C. 31-82
MLA	Dmitriev, Igor "Scientific Discovery in Statu Nascendi: The Case of Mendeleev’s Periodic Law." Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 22.1 (2001).:31-82.
APA	Dmitriev I. (2001). Scientific Discovery in Statu Nascendi: The Case of Mendeleev’s Periodic Law. Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. vol. 22, no. 1, pp.31-82

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