The United Nations honored the 150th anniversary of Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev’s establishment of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements by designating 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT2019). The IYPT2019 initiative, supported by the International Union of Pure Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and other science-related organizations, aims to celebrate one of the most significant achievements in modern science – a table that reflects not only chemistry but also physics, biology, and other basic science disciplines.
Historical Context of the Periodic Table
The creation of a table to classify elements was not an original concept proposed by Mendeleev. The first attempt at a similar system dates back to 1789 when Antoine Lavoisier, often regarded as the father of modern chemistry, classified elements based on their properties. Another important development came with John Newlands’ introduction of octaves in chemistry, where properties were seen to repeat for every eighth element. However, it was Mendeleev who designed an arrangement in order of increasing atomic weight, a precursor to the modern periodic table, which is ordered according to increasing atomic number.
Fascinating Facts about the Periodic Table
The periodic table houses 118 confirmed elements. Of these, nature provides 90, while the rest are the fruits of human ingenuity. Chicken or egg critiques aside, what cannot be denied is the myriad fascinating facts that abound concerning this scientific marvel. From being home to the lightest element, hydrogen, with its atomic weight of 1, to hosting uranium, the heaviest, with an atomic weight of 238, the table’s vast array of elements offers an exciting journey through the foundations of our physical world.
| Fact | Description |
|---|---|
| First man-made element | Technetium |
| Noble Gases | Helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon |
| Reactive noble gases | Xenon, krypton, radon |
| Percentage of metals | Almost 75% |
| Allotropes example | Diamond, graphite, buckminsterfullerene, amorphous carbon (all are allotropes of Carbon) |
| Liquid elements at room temperature | Mercury and bromine |
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
An organization known for its neutrality and objectivity, IUPAC is a world authority on chemical nomenclature and terminology. Since its establishment in 1919 by academic and industrial chemists, IUPAC’s mission has been to unify the global chemistry community for the advancement of the chemical sciences through collaboration and free exchange of scientific information. This includes the naming of new elements in the periodic table, standardizing methods for measurement, and maintaining atomic weights.
New Elements Named by IUPAC
IUPAC has taken the charge of naming new elements discovered in the chemical world. Four new elements discovered in 2015 have now been named by IUPAC – Nihonium (113Nh), Moscovium (115Mo), Tennessine (117Te), and Oganesson (118Og). These include highly radioactive elements like Nh-278, which has a very short half-life of 0.24 milliseconds.