Single Idea 17400

[catalogued under 27. Natural Reality / F. Chemistry / 3. Periodic Table]

Full Idea

Because he was attempting to classify abstract elements, not simple substances, Mendeleev was not misled by nonessential chemical properties.

Gist of Idea

Mendeleev focused on abstract elements, not simple substances, so he got to their essence

Source

report of Dmitri Mendeleev (The Principles of Chemistry [1870]) by Eric R. Scerri - The Periodic Table 04 'Making'

Book Reference

Scerri,Eric R.: 'The Periodic Table' [OUP 2007], p.118


A Reaction

I'm not fully clear about this, but I take it that Mendeleev stood back from the messy observations, and tried to see the underlying simpler principles. 'Simple substances' were ones that had not so far been decomposed.

Related Ideas

Idea 17399 Elements don't survive in compounds, but the 'substance' of the element does [Mendeleev]

Idea 17401 Mendeleev had a view of elements which allowed him to overlook some conflicting observations [Mendeleev]