Dmitri Mendeleev

Name: Dmitri Mendeleev
ISBN: 9787512511514

冯化太International Culture Publishing Corporation · ChinaJul 2020

3.0

Word count: 111K words
Chapters: 38
ISBN: 9787512511514

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Summary

Dmitri Mendeleev (1834–1907): Russian chemist. Graduated from the Saint Petersburg Pedagogical Institute. He taught at the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic Institute and Saint Petersburg University, and served as director of the Bureau of Weights and Measures. He was one of the discoverers of the periodic law, a fundamental law of natural science, and on its basis predicted several as-yet-undiscovered elements. Applying the idea of periodicity in the properties of elements, he wrote Principles of Chemistry between 1869 and 1871. In 1887 he proposed the hydration theory of solutions, becoming a pioneer of the modern theory of solutions. He also studied the relations of the volumes of gases and liquids to temperature and pressure, discovered the critical temperature of gases in 1860, and was the first to propose the underground gasification of coal in 1888.

Editor's review

Written as an accessible biography, this book places Mendeleev back in the larger context of the institutionalization of chemistry in the nineteenth century: from his studies at the Saint Petersburg Pedagogical Institute to his teaching at the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic Institute and Saint Petersburg University, and then to his leadership of the Bureau of Weights and Measures, it presents the twofold life of a scientist and public technical administrator. What readers will grasp most readily is how the periodic law was distilled from empirical comparisons of elemental properties, and the reasoning by which he predicted undiscovered elements on that basis; the writing of Principles of Chemistry, the hydration theory of solutions, the critical temperature of gases, and the call for underground coal gasification are also woven into a single thread running from experimental facts to theoretical generalization. For secondary-school chemistry students, the book restores the periodic table of the classroom to an unfinished piece of research; for enthusiasts of the history of science, it locates a Russian scientist concretely within the technical modernization of the empire. The prose is plain and suited to supplementary or school-based reading, though those seeking deep chemical argument or analysis of primary sources will still need specialized works.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Middle- and high-school students who need to understand how the periodic law came about
Readers interested in the history of science who want to know the development of nineteenth-century Russian chemistry
Teacher-training students or science educators looking for materials for teaching the history of chemistry
General readers interested in the dual role of scientists as public technical administrators

Not a good fit for

Professional chemistry researchers seeking rigorous theoretical derivation and experimental detail
Biography readers who prefer literary narrative or deep psychological portraiture
Researchers who need Mendeleev's original papers or Russian archival materials

Reading tips

Read the chapters on the periodic law first, then return to the earlier account of his studies and teaching to understand the process of discovery.
Read alongside secondary-school knowledge of the periodic table, matching the historical facts in the book to classroom concepts one by one.
While reading, note Mendeleev's positions on the Bureau of Weights and Measures and on solution theory, and compare his scientific and social roles.
Read it together with biographies of comparable scientists, noting differences in research methods under different scientific traditions.

About the publisher

International Culture Publishing Corporation China · Founded in 1984

International Culture Publishing Corporation is a publisher known for introducing foreign literature and world classics, with about 283 relevant titles in the database. Its representative books include Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, Hesse's Siddhartha, Jiménez's Platero and I, and Gibran's The Prophet, as well as cultural readings such as Zhu Guangqian's Twelve Letters to Youth and Common Talk on Classics. In psychology, it offers the nine-volume Collector's Edition of C. G. Jung's Works, covering social psychology and applied psychology. Its author resources include Goethe, Hesse, Jiménez, Jung, and Zhu Guangqian, along with Chinese authors involved in translation and compilation. Its publishing focus is on foreign literature, classic works, psychology, and culture, serving both academic and general readers. Public information is limited, and the above is based mainly on the books in the database.

版权信息
“中小学课本里的名人传记丛书”前言
苦难开端
好奇善问的小男孩
7岁直接进入中学
迈入大学门槛
失去了最亲的亲人
崭露头角
毅力战胜了病魔
不甘平凡的人生历程
到德国学习深造
与众不同的留学生
攻克科学难关
被巴赫的执着所折服
参加化学家国际会议
学成回国
把荣誉让给别人
首次走进婚姻殿堂
提出科学发展的蓝图
成立俄罗斯化学协会
科学探索
探讨元素间规律性
执着地进行研究
制成元素周期表
坦荡地面对冷遇
伟大的预测被证实
辛勤工作
遭遇不公平事件
勇敢地冲破旧观念
忙里偷闲的聚会
一次升空的冒险
关心民生事业
愤然辞职抗议
研制先进的火药
促进度量衡发展
把科学视为生命
辛勤地工作到最后
永远活在人们心中

FAQ

Is this book suitable for secondary-school students?

Yes. The comparison of elemental properties and the discovery of the periodic law connect closely with secondary-school chemistry, and can help students understand the periodic table as a research tool rather than a ready-made conclusion. Some nineteenth-century chemical terminology will need brief explanation from a teacher or parent, so selected reading in step with classroom progress is recommended.

Does the book explain the chemical principles of the periodic law in detail?

The book is primarily a biographical narrative. It focuses on how Mendeleev used the idea of periodicity in elemental properties to generalize and make predictions, and it discusses the writing of Principles of Chemistry, but it does not set out professional derivations or experimental data. For systematic chemical argument, a specialized textbook or scholarly history of science should be consulted.

What contributions did Mendeleev make beyond chemistry?

According to the book, he also proposed the hydration theory of solutions, studied the relations of the volumes of gases and liquids to temperature and pressure, discovered the critical temperature of gases in 1860, was the first to propose the underground gasification of coal in 1888, and served as director of the Bureau of Weights and Measures. These aspects help readers understand the scientist's role in technical administration.

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About the author

冯化太 Author · Chinese · 1967

Feng Huatai was born in 1967 and graduated from the graduate program of the Lu Xun Academy of Literature. He currently works as a literary editor at Sina.com and writes freelance in his spare time. Public information about him is limited, but his 46 works in the library show a wide range: he has compiled classic works such as Selected Articles by Top Scholars of Successive Dynasties, and has also written on traditional family instructions and ways of dealing with the world, as exemplified by Dushi Kuanhou (Honest and Generous). At the same time, he writes popular science for young readers, covering robots, human science, maritime weapons, new materials, and road traffic, and extending to prehistoric civilization. Overall, his writing balances cultural transmission with the popularization of knowledge, and his works fall mainly into the categories of classic works, culture, inspirational growth, and popular science, suiting readers of different ages.