Achievements of Mendeleev's Periodic Table
Mendeleev's periodic table was one of the greatest achievements in chemistry with some of its important contributions as follows:
Systematic Study of Elements
Mendeleev's Periodic table simplified the study of elements. As the arrangements of elements showing similar properties were classified into groups, it was very useful in studying and remembering the properties of a large number of elements in a systematic way.
Prediction of New Elements
Based on the positions in the periodic table, Mendeleev could predict the properties of some undiscovered elements. He left three blanks for elements that were not discovered at that time. He was able to predict the properties of these unknown elements more or less accurately. He named them eka-boron, eka-aluminium and eka-silicon. He named them so, as they were just below boron, aluminium and silicon in the respective sub-groups. Eka-boron was later named as scandium, eka-aluminium as gallium and eka-silicon as germanium.
Correction of Atomic Masses
Mendeleev's periodic table helped in correcting the atomic masses of some of the elements, based on their positions in the periodic table. For example, atomic mass of beryllium was corrected from 13.5 to 9.0. Atomic masses of indium, gold and platinum were also corrected.
