Mendeleyev and the Periodic Table

by Katherine White

Presents the life of the Russian chemist, discussing his early life of poverty, his struggle to receive an education, his groundbreaking development of the periodic table of elements, and the influence this discovery has had on the field of chemistry.

Genres: Science

64 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Lisa DiGiacomo]

Recently my husband expressed thinking of something in his dream that he didn't recall thinking of before, and the conclusion he drew in the dream was correct. That made me wonder about what goes on in our dreams besides sometimes bazaar stories.

The most fascinating thing about this small book is that Mendeleyev came up with the periodic table in his dream. He had been working three days straight, without sleep, trying to figure out the pattern between the elements. He felt he was close, but just couldn't put it all together. He fell asleep at his desk. In his dream he pictured the table. A footnote in the book points out the importance of rest prior to taking an exam and the reality that our minds are still working when we sleep. Simply fascinating! So, I guess the moral to the story is, if you've got a mental block on something you're trying to think through, take a nap and maybe it will come to you.

I also appreciated something wise his mother said to him, "Seek divine and scientific truth." They are not at odds!

[Juan Rivera]

Incluso su autoría inicalmente no se le atribuyó a él pero, porque como ruso tenía menos peso que otros científicos, por ejemplo, alemanes.

Un buen pequeño libro para aprender de esta historia “Mendeleyev and the Periodic Table” de Katherine White.

[Vee John-Baptiste]

I loved how this book brings science and spirituality together - must read!