A Periodic Flashback for Chemical Elements in Secondary School Klyucharev V.V
Fourth International Conference on the Periodic Table July 26-29, 2019, St Petersburg, Russia THE PERIODIC TABLE: SEEKING ORDER IN CHAOS 1 2 Abhinav Godavarthi and Swaminathan Sivaram 1 5853 Pebblestone Ln, Plano, TX 75093, USA 2 Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India. ABSTRACT In a short communication published in Zeitschrift fur Chemie, volume 12, pp 405-406, 1869, titled, “On the relationship of the properties to the atomic weights of the elements” Mendeleev announced a startling discovery that would revolutionize chemistry forever. The Periodic Table revealed a pervasive order in nature, one that always existed, but was hidden till Mendeleev expounded it In this presentation, we shall briefly trace the origins of the discovery with a retrospective view of what led Mendeleev to this epochal discovery . We illustrate the conception of the Periodic Table as a classical Kuhnian scientific revolution; that is, a discovery made according to the paradigm of the scientific time period as a whole. To this end, we observe and analyze the greater trends in science during the era of Mendeleev and his immediate influences. Moreover, we address how the lexicon in the field of chemistry and chemical analysis today allows for a broad interpretation of the current paradigm, and that this qualitative aspect of “the central science” enables for unique creative contributions. Finally, we investigate alternative historical models for the discovery of the Periodic Table, compare such models, and present an approach to scientific inquiry going forward in an era dominated by computational power and artificial intelligence.
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