Dmitri Mendeleev vs. Lothar Meyer who is the father of the periodic Essay

Dmitri Mendeleev vs. Lothar Meyer who is the father of the periodic table - Essay Example This article will discuss the individual who deserves the credentials as the father of the periodic table between Dmitri Mendeleev and Lothar Meyer. Dmitri Mendeleev was a Russian professor in the Chemistry department of various institutions. According to several sources, he is credited as the creator of the first version of the period table in 1869 (Scerri 9). He also predicted some of the properties that were yet to be discovered by using the first version of the periodic table which he had created. During this era, Mendeleev was also studying the capillarity of liquids and the functioning of the stethoscope. The first version of the periodic table comprised of 56 elements (Levi 5). In his predictions, Mendeleev made it clear that the eight elements he predicted would have the prefixes dvi, tri and eka in their naming. On the other hand, Julius Lothar Meyer was a German chemist who published an expanded version of the periodic table in 1870. His table consisted of 44 elements, which were arranged in terms of their valency. He is also honored for his contribution in the periodic classification of elements. It is quite clear that Meyer was also doubtful about the periodic table published by Mendeleev just like several other scientists (Gordin 34). The main contribution of Meyer included the concept, which asserts that the carbon atoms found in benzene are arranged in the form of a ring. The table presented by Meyer was virtually identical to the table created by Mendeleev. After constructing the table, Meyer gave it to a colleague for proper evaluation. He also criticized Mendeleev since; he changed some of the atomic weights of the existing elements. Most individuals claim that both Mendeleev and Meyer are co- creators of the period table. However, most individuals virtually agree that Mendeleev made an accurate prediction compared to Meyer. In addition, he also predicted more elements such as gallium and germanium, which were discovered in 1875 and