Getting to Know the Periodic Table
What is the Periodic Table? The periodic table is a tabular display of the chemical elements, organized by their atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus), electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties. The periodic table is a powerful tool for understanding the properties and behavior of elements, and it has been a cornerstone of chemistry education for over a century. History of the Periodic Table The periodic table was first developed by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869. Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, noticed that when the elements were arranged in order of their atomic weights, certain properties recurred at regular intervals. He predicted the existence of undiscovered elements and left gaps in the table for them, which were later filled in by the discovery of new elements. ...