Mendeleev Dmitriy Ivanovich
Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev is a Russian scientist and encyclopedist: chemist, physicist, economist, metrologist, geologist, meteorologist, teacher, aeronaut. He gained worldwide fame due to the creation of the periodic table of chemical elements.
Childhood and education
Born on February 8, 1834 in the family of the director of the Tobolsk gymnasium and colleges; he was the 17th child in the family.
He studied at the Tobolsk Classical Gymnasium.
In 1855 he graduated from the Department of Natural Sciences of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Main Pedagogical Institute in St. Petersburg.‑St. Petersburg. He also conducted his first research in the field of analytical chemistry there.
Scientific career
After graduation, he taught, then defended his dissertation.
1859-1861 — business trip abroad (including to Heidelberg), where he deepened his knowledge of chemistry and physics, communicated with prominent scientists (Robert Bunsen, Hermann Helmholtz, etc.).
Since 1857, he has been a privatdozent of the Department of Chemistry in St. Petersburg.‑St. Petersburg Imperial University (he taught here for 33 years, until 1890).
He is the author of Russia's first textbook on organic chemistry (for this work he was awarded the Demidov Prize, Russia's highest scientific award of the time).
Major scientific achievements
Periodic Law and Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (1869):
He compared the properties of known elements with their atomic masses.
He found that the properties of the elements are periodically repeated when ordered by increasing atomic mass.
He left empty cells for elements that had not yet been discovered and predicted with high accuracy the properties and atomic masses of scandium, gallium and germanium (later confirmed).
The Mendeleev–Clapeyron law:
Investigated the behavior of gases at high temperatures.
He formulated the equation of state of an ideal gas, describing the relationship between pressure, volume and temperature.
Oil Research:
He was one of the first to realize the strategic importance of oil.
He proposed ideas for its processing and use not only as fuel, but also as a raw material for the chemical industry.
He put forward the idea of transporting oil through pipes (instead of transportation in barrels and wineskins).
Works in the field of agrochemistry:
Studied the effect of chemical fertilizers on soil fertility and yield.
Developed practical recommendations for agriculture in Russia.
Metrology and applied research:
Participated in the development of standards for weights and measures.
In 1899, he conducted an expedition to the Urals to study factories and develop recommendations for the development of the region.
Aeronautics and technology:
He was interested in aeronautics and designed instruments.
In the early 1900s, he conducted one of the first radio communication sessions in Russia (at the Boblovo estate).
Invented devices
Dmitry Ivanovich not only made discoveries, but also designed equipment:
a calorimeter for measuring the amount of heat.;
theodolite — for measuring angles during mapping;
differential barometer (altimeter) — for accurate measurement of atmospheric pressure.
Personal life and hobbies
He was married twice and had five children.
He was fond of chess, making suitcases and frames for photographs and prints.
He was engaged in charity work: he spent personal funds on educating poor children and supporting orphans.
He advocated for women's equality and gave free lectures to women interested in science.
Recognition and memory
Although Mendeleev was nominated for the Nobel Prize three times (the last time in 1906), he never received it.
The chemical element mendelevium (Md, No. 101) is named after the scientist.;
glaciers, volcano, crater on the moon;
streets, educational institutions, the airport in Tyumen;
the scientific research vessel and the Dmitry Mendeleev airliner.
He was buried at the Volkovsky Cemetery in St. Petersburg.‑St. Petersburg.
Interesting facts:
Mendeleev did not invent vodka, although he studied the properties of water‑alcohol solutions (1865 dissertation). His work concerned the density of mixtures, not the creation of an alcoholic beverage.
In the Boblovo estate (Klinsky district of Moscow province), the scientist set up a laboratory in the hollow of an old oak tree.
He collaborated with Admiral S. O. Makarov, participated in the design of icebreakers and the development of sea routes in high latitudes.