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Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements

Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements

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  • Create Date：2022-11-23 06:54:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Paul Strathern
  • ISBN：1643130692
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Summary

In 1869 Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleyev was puzzling over a way to bring order to the fledgling science of chemistry。 Wearied by the effort， he fell asleep at his desk。 What he dreamt would fundamentally change the way we see the world。



Framing this history is the life story of the nineteenth-century Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleyev， who fell asleep at his desk and awoke after conceiving the periodic table in a dream-the template upon which modern chemistry is founded and the formulation of which marked chemistry's coming of age as a science。 From ancient philosophy through medieval alchemy to the splitting of the atom， this is the true story of the birth of chemistry and the role of one man's dream。



In this elegant， erudite， and entertaining book， Paul Strathern unravels the quixotic history of chemistry through the quest for the elements。

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Reviews

Daniel Morales ，

Se vale de contar la historia de la química para hablar sobre el origen y la evolución de la ciencia （ y sus ramas principales ） en general， pasando por todas las etapas de la historia。

oasisity ，

as a biochemistry major i thought i was DONE with scientific readings but this book — 🥲i’ve laughed， audibly gasped， and felt like i was going crazy along with all of the famous and infamous geniuses of the centuries。 oh this was so entertaining。 i thought i was reading a reality tv script without dialogue。 it contained betrayal， love， and funny narration。 well done Paul Strathern。 this isn’t going to be my last scientific read， but i’m happy it was my first。 i think mendeleyev wouldn’t be TOO s as a biochemistry major i thought i was DONE with scientific readings but this book — 🥲i’ve laughed， audibly gasped， and felt like i was going crazy along with all of the famous and infamous geniuses of the centuries。 oh this was so entertaining。 i thought i was reading a reality tv script without dialogue。 it contained betrayal， love， and funny narration。 well done Paul Strathern。 this isn’t going to be my last scientific read， but i’m happy it was my first。 i think mendeleyev wouldn’t be TOO shocked about how much we rely on his ‘Periodic Law，’ but he’d be a lil amazed about what we’ve found out by using it and developing it each decade。 kudos， kudos， kudos！ 。。。more

Rochelle ，

A highly engaging work detailing the development of scientific thought as well as the pedigree of the periodic table。

Barry Poulson ，

An Entertaining History of a Momentous DiscoveryTo begin with the end known makes suspense difficult ， but by unfolding the story across the centuries Strathern weaves a remarkable story。 Well worth the read！

Jack Laschenski ，

A fascinating history of chemistry and physics。We meet dozens of folks who contributed that I never heard of！Well done。

Peter Grant ，

For a book called Menedeleyev's dream， I had anticipated， not unreasonably that this would be a book about Mendeleyev and the insight he had （including inspiration from nightime reveries） that led to the genius idea of the periodic table - why it's arranged as it is， what this means for elemental properties， just what are transitions elements etc etc。 Instead， after a short cameo in the first chapter， Mendeleyev does not feature again until the penultimate chapter - a brief bio and then a simple For a book called Menedeleyev's dream， I had anticipated， not unreasonably that this would be a book about Mendeleyev and the insight he had （including inspiration from nightime reveries） that led to the genius idea of the periodic table - why it's arranged as it is， what this means for elemental properties， just what are transitions elements etc etc。 Instead， after a short cameo in the first chapter， Mendeleyev does not feature again until the penultimate chapter - a brief bio and then a simple account of him having a dream in which the elements were arranged periodically by weight and。。er。。that was about it。 In between were many interesting chapters giving a roller coaster ride through the history of the understanding of chemistry from the Greeks， through multiple alchemists and some 'characters' like Paracelsus and Cavendish。 As I say， all very interesting but not what I had signed up for。 And it was frustrating that the whirlwind history was so short of the details of exaclty what these minds worked out and exactly how they did it - to me the chemistry should have been the nub of the book。 So， if you're looking for a whistle stop tour of celebrities from the history of chemistry then this is the book for you。 But if you're looking for something that's more about the chemistry then I'd look elsewhere。 That said， it was enjoyable to hear his relentlessly scathing attitude to religion， spirituality and mysticism， all of which were roundly condemned as holding the human race back from making fundamental discoveries。 。。。more

David ，

A good history of the development of chemistry。 From the philosophical guess-work of the ancient Greeks （the Four Elements）， to the metaphysical musings of the Alchemists （who still managed to discover a useful thing or two）， to the brilliant insight of Mendeleyev in creating a framework to organize the expanding list of elements， which the new science was discovering in the 19th century。

Anup Sinha ，

While it was a scattered approach to the history of chemistry and science as a whole， Strathern does a good job telling the story of so many of the brilliant scientists before and including Dmitri Mendeleyev。 It was scattered because he didn’t always stay chronological and had a way of drifting in thought。 Plus there was a lot of detail on the more primitive scientists and I admittedly was more interested in John Dalton and after。 So for me， the last sixty pages or so were the most enjoyable。The While it was a scattered approach to the history of chemistry and science as a whole， Strathern does a good job telling the story of so many of the brilliant scientists before and including Dmitri Mendeleyev。 It was scattered because he didn’t always stay chronological and had a way of drifting in thought。 Plus there was a lot of detail on the more primitive scientists and I admittedly was more interested in John Dalton and after。 So for me， the last sixty pages or so were the most enjoyable。The last two chapters are devoted to Mendeleyev and he proved to be an amazing story。 I do wish Strathern wouldn’t have stopped there， much has happened with the periodic table since 1869 and I would have loved some inside information about Henri Moseley， perhaps， who figured out atomic number and changed the way we ordered the periodic table and identified elements altogether。 Recommended for like-minded readers and fellow chemistry teachers！ 。。。more

Michiel Vanhoutte ，

Dit boek overloopt de geschiedenis van de scheikunde。 Verwacht dus geen boek over Mendelejev， zoals de titel laat vermoeden。Enkel het eerste en het laatste hoofdstuk spreken over hem。

Albert ，

A good history of how chemistry developed out of philosophy and alchemy to become science。 It's much about how the field developed than how the Table was created。 A good history of how chemistry developed out of philosophy and alchemy to become science。 It's much about how the field developed than how the Table was created。 。。。more

Celso Ferreira ，

Uma fascinante viagem pela história e desenvolvimento da química enquanto ciência。 Desde os primórdios qdo se confundiu com a alquimia e o misticismo até chegar a uma ciência estrutura e extremamente contribuinte para o desenvolvimento do ser humano。 Excelente livro。

Mike Parkes ，

I was looking for a good survey of the history of chemistry， and this is definitely not it。 The first two chapter on the Greeks （the four elements， beginnings of atomic theory） and the Egyptians （beginnings of alchemy） are an OK start， but the book then takes a serious wrong turn， into meanderings on the historical development of the philosophical underpinnings of the scientific method。 For more than 1/3 of the book， there is almost no chemistry at all， but pages and pages of biographical detail I was looking for a good survey of the history of chemistry， and this is definitely not it。 The first two chapter on the Greeks （the four elements， beginnings of atomic theory） and the Egyptians （beginnings of alchemy） are an OK start， but the book then takes a serious wrong turn， into meanderings on the historical development of the philosophical underpinnings of the scientific method。 For more than 1/3 of the book， there is almost no chemistry at all， but pages and pages of biographical details of random folks who contributed little or nothing to chemistry （Nicholas of Cusa， I’m looking at you）。The second half of the book， beginning with Van Helmont’s experiments with gases in the 1500s， is a much better historical summary of chemistry up to Mendeleyev’s theoretical breakthrough of the Periodic Table， although it still suffers from a predilection to spend more time on the biographies of the scientists than on the practical and experimental details of the chemistry they performed。 That’s a weakness of the book as a whole。 Chemistry is the science of matter， but this book doesn’t let you feel the materiality， physicality， and dangers of chemical experimentation。 What were those alchemists actually up to in their smoky dens？ You won’t find out from this book。 。。。more

Hannah Nikiel ，

*4，5

Derek Henderson ，

Mendeleyev himself gets fairly short shrift， and Strathern at times seems more interested in the lives of his protagonists than their contributions to chemistry。 Nonetheless （or perhaps because of that）， interesting and at times illuminating。

Aiman Adlawan ，

A wonderful story about Mendeleyev's Discovery of The Periodic Table。 When I was in highschool， I used to ask how the periodic table was made， invented or discovered。 This books really answered everything。 Though it was not really a one man invention， Mendeleyev puzzled all the pieces of previously discovered elements and brought them together - to answer old question 'What is the most basic element of nature？' was it water？ Earth？ Air？ Fire？ The discovery of the periodic table lays out the basi A wonderful story about Mendeleyev's Discovery of The Periodic Table。 When I was in highschool， I used to ask how the periodic table was made， invented or discovered。 This books really answered everything。 Though it was not really a one man invention， Mendeleyev puzzled all the pieces of previously discovered elements and brought them together - to answer old question 'What is the most basic element of nature？' was it water？ Earth？ Air？ Fire？ The discovery of the periodic table lays out the basic material composition of the universe and this has done a tremendous impact to the development of modern science。 Very wonderful story。The books was supposed to be about Mendeleyev's Life。 But it only talked about him at the first and last chapter。 Everything in between were all about the characters and some significant persons who had contributed on the development of chemistry。 This I thought was essential to understanding how those contributions helped Mendeleyev assembled the elements in one table。 。。。more

Franz ，

I quite liked the book even though it wasn't what I expected - namely a biography of Mendeleyev。 Rather， it is a history of science with a focus on chemistry。 It starts with the Greek philosophers， spends a lot of time on alchemy and explores the impact of the Renaissance before moving on to 'modern times'。 It ends with Mendeleyev - meaning the book doesn't talk about the development of the last 100 years or so。In a way， this book is a series of mini-biographies， some of people I had never heard I quite liked the book even though it wasn't what I expected - namely a biography of Mendeleyev。 Rather， it is a history of science with a focus on chemistry。 It starts with the Greek philosophers， spends a lot of time on alchemy and explores the impact of the Renaissance before moving on to 'modern times'。 It ends with Mendeleyev - meaning the book doesn't talk about the development of the last 100 years or so。In a way， this book is a series of mini-biographies， some of people I had never heard of。 This is not a book that explains chemistry beyond a minimum。 However， since I do like to read and learn about people， I got a lot out of this book - including a mini-biography of Mendeleyev。 。。。more

Barry Mann ，

I would prefer more science and less biography

Harvey Jones ，

I contrast to some of the other reviews， I really enjoyed this book。 it is a journey from alchemy to the 19th century view on Chemistry ending with Mendeleyev and his periodic table of the elements 。My view is that it has a good pace and is quite an easy read。 The book lists all the major contributors to the journey and I plan to read more on the subject as it is quite fascinating。

Yves Martin ，

Not quite enough elements and chemistry based in my opinion， but fine read filled with interesting insights。 Some details are perhaps a bit questionable。 Good overall。

sergio bozzo ，

Historia personal de al-quimicaPara quienes gusten de historia， ciencias y las particularidades de los genios， concatenados en un hilo conductor que va desde la antiguedad a lo postmoderno

sarah ，

Strathern chronicles the history of the development of modern chemistry for the general audience， covering important figures and discoveries that deserve more attention than we tend to give them in history and science classes （almost none）。 Beginning with the origins of alchemy， Strathern brings us through the evolution of science right up to Mendeleev's discovery of the periodic table， along the way emphasizing and acknowledging how the many mistakes and false theories we've held throughout tim Strathern chronicles the history of the development of modern chemistry for the general audience， covering important figures and discoveries that deserve more attention than we tend to give them in history and science classes （almost none）。 Beginning with the origins of alchemy， Strathern brings us through the evolution of science right up to Mendeleev's discovery of the periodic table， along the way emphasizing and acknowledging how the many mistakes and false theories we've held throughout time have simultaneously hindered and also paved the way for future discovery。 One of the few books about chemistry I've read for the general audience that does it justice。 。。。more

Philip ，

Long history of the development of chemistry in which Mendleyev doesn't figure until the last chapters Long history of the development of chemistry in which Mendleyev doesn't figure until the last chapters 。。。more

Joanne ，

Very enjoyable！ There are lots of funny anecdotes about chemists throughout history， which makes reading about the history of chemistry much easier for someone like me who knows very little about the subject。 This book has inspired me to read more about chemistry。

Elizabeth ，

While the readability of Strathern's amalgamation of historical narrative and scientific progress dips at times， I was completely pulled in to the amazing 2，500 year marathon that produced the modern study of Chemistry。 I laughed， expanded my vocabulary， and was moved by just how many hands passed the baton of research toward a goal of understanding the world around us。 The last chapter is an extremely satisfying resolution to a winding and dramatic collection of stories！ I highly recommend this While the readability of Strathern's amalgamation of historical narrative and scientific progress dips at times， I was completely pulled in to the amazing 2，500 year marathon that produced the modern study of Chemistry。 I laughed， expanded my vocabulary， and was moved by just how many hands passed the baton of research toward a goal of understanding the world around us。 The last chapter is an extremely satisfying resolution to a winding and dramatic collection of stories！ I highly recommend this book to those looking to broaden their knowledge of world history and chemical literacy from a humanistic perspective。 。。。more

Emily Lakdawalla ，

I really hated this book。 The author has nothing but contempt for the philosophers and thinkers who predated the development of Modern Science， variously describing them as mystics， in error， misguided， or even tricksters or charlatans。 Surely some of them were， but most of them were people of their time， striving to understand their world to the best of their ability， their ability being blunted by whatever prejudices they grew up with， which is no different than scientists are today。 Strathern I really hated this book。 The author has nothing but contempt for the philosophers and thinkers who predated the development of Modern Science， variously describing them as mystics， in error， misguided， or even tricksters or charlatans。 Surely some of them were， but most of them were people of their time， striving to understand their world to the best of their ability， their ability being blunted by whatever prejudices they grew up with， which is no different than scientists are today。 Strathern points and laughs about how wrong they were， how far from the true path of objectively true scientific thought。 I'm a scientist and I value the scientific method but I'd argue that even today the method only gives us simplistic glimpses of the truth and I know better than to mock the people who came before me。 。。。more

Forrest ，

I expected the book to be more about Mendelev， but he only appears in the preface and at the very end。 Instead， the vast majority of the book is a history of what was to become chemistry， from the ancient Egyptians concerned with mummification up until the discovery of the Periodic Table。I've read critiques of this book complaining that it gives the false impression that science proceeds in a straight line by omitting a lot of context around the historic episodes he presents， but I didn't take i I expected the book to be more about Mendelev， but he only appears in the preface and at the very end。 Instead， the vast majority of the book is a history of what was to become chemistry， from the ancient Egyptians concerned with mummification up until the discovery of the Periodic Table。I've read critiques of this book complaining that it gives the false impression that science proceeds in a straight line by omitting a lot of context around the historic episodes he presents， but I didn't take it that way at all。 It's clearly written with the benefit of hindsight and is selecting the stories in light of what would later prove to be important， even though that direction was unknown at the time。 As long as you understand that， you won't see an "arrow of scientific progress" illusion in the text at all。I still need to find a book which will tell me more about Mendeleyev， but this was a great read。 。。。more

Pam ，

Many times it is difficult to decide how to rate a book。 In this case I have decided this book is dry and boring as my husband， who has a great tolerance for science and history tomes， has been trying to read it for nearly a week and he falls asleep within 15 minutes。

Beth ，

This was a very readable history of chemistry， focusing on the people who made the greatest advances， including philosophers and experimentalists。 The writing was a bit awkward， sometimes a word was used multiple times in close proximity and I detected a couple of minor errors。 The book starts and ends with the story of Dmitri Mendeleev's arrangement of the known elements to form the original periodic table。 It would have Ben interesting to add an epilogue about the ways that the periodic table This was a very readable history of chemistry， focusing on the people who made the greatest advances， including philosophers and experimentalists。 The writing was a bit awkward， sometimes a word was used multiple times in close proximity and I detected a couple of minor errors。 The book starts and ends with the story of Dmitri Mendeleev's arrangement of the known elements to form the original periodic table。 It would have Ben interesting to add an epilogue about the ways that the periodic table has influenced science and popular culture since Mendeleev， but only physic's Eightfold Way was mentioned。 。。。more

Sajith Kumar ，

Every school boy and girl is familiar with the periodic table in chemistry lessons。 Most high school classroom walls will be adorned by one。 This book is for those who wonder how the elements were identified， discovered and arranged in the specific order with which we are so familiar today。 Paul Strathern does an eminent job in telling the story of how chemistry became what it is at the present。 The book’s central character is Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleyev， the scholar from Siberia who first iden Every school boy and girl is familiar with the periodic table in chemistry lessons。 Most high school classroom walls will be adorned by one。 This book is for those who wonder how the elements were identified， discovered and arranged in the specific order with which we are so familiar today。 Paul Strathern does an eminent job in telling the story of how chemistry became what it is at the present。 The book’s central character is Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleyev， the scholar from Siberia who first identified the structure of the table。 Even though the book is titled ‘Mendeleyev’s Dream’， the man appears only in a couple of chapters。 All others narrate the progress of scientific thought in general and the development of chemistry in particular over the last two millennia。 Strathern is a writer and an academic as well。 He has traveled around the world and has authored five novels besides numerous books on science， philosophy， history， literature， medicine and economics。Scientific speculation began in ancient Greece， mostly in Ionia， that is， in present day Turkey。 In fact， what we perceive today as Greece’s golden era of Periclean Athens was a dead end as far as science was concerned。 The excruciating style of Socrates’ debates further weakened science’s fledgling proponents。 Amidst these obstacles， Thales of Miletus postulated that water is the basic element of the universe， which was extended by Anaximenes to include earth， fire and air as well。 Aristotle confirmed this hypothesis。 The Greek kingdoms were in turn replaced by the Roman Empire， in which science drew a blank。 The only Roman said to have entered the history of science is the soldier who killed Archimedes！ After the decline of the empire， Europe relapsed into a dark age。 The onus of keeping the scientific flicker alive fell on the Islamic world。 Baghdad， which was the seat of the Abbasid caliphate， was adorned with scholars of all professions。 Strathern gives a lucid description of the contributions made by Jabir， ibn Sina （Avicenna） and al Razi。 By the time of the Renaissance， Europe was blessed with classical knowledge collected during the plunder of the crusades and the migration of Greek scholars from Constantinople immediately before that city fell to the Ottoman Turks。 The dark ages was permeated by alchemy， the quest to transmute base metals into gold。 However mystical or superstitious the quest was， a lot of valuable information on chemical reactions， compounds and elements were collected in the process。Early scientists were subjected to severe persecution for their scientific beliefs。 Giordano Bruno was burnt alive at the stake; Galileo was bound for the same destination， but escaped with his life only because of his advanced age and poor health。 He was kept under house arrest until death。 The crime alleged on both was the same – teaching that the earth was not at the centre of the universe， but sun was。 They also postulated that there are countless stars in the night sky， some of whom were not even visible to the naked eye。 This went against the church’s stand that god created man in his image and the earth was entitled to a special place。 As the entire universe was created for the benefit of mankind， what use is there in the scheme for invisible stars？ But anyone who is somewhat familiar with the Bible knows that the holy writ does not contain any reference to earth’s position in the solar system。 Then why did the church was so adamant to enforce its position which was not supported by the scriptures and even at the extreme cost of taking a human life？ Strathern attempts to produce a convincing explanation， which removes all doubts in this regard。 Christianity， when it was adopted as the state religion of the Roman Empire， stepped into the shoes of Hellenic philosophers like Aristotle。 What distinguished Greek philosophy from others was its secularism。 Thinkers contemplating on the root causes of the events didn’t find it necessary to ascribe divine mediation in order to explain them。 Hence the church found it too easy to assimilate the Greek wisdom as it was already free from pagan beliefs。 Once the established church stumbled on to something， it clung to it with its notorious aversion to change。 It was Aristotle’s one fallacy among many that the earth was the centre of the universe。 The church blindly followed suit and didn’t correct the course until it was too late。 Another curious observation the readers can obtain from the book was that Aristotle faltered almost on all occasions he laid his hands on scientific concepts。 Even though， or in spite of， being the greatest philosopher of his time， experimentation was not his forte。 He believed that objects of different weights fell at different rates and celestial objects orbited each other in perfect circles。 All these were proved false in the modern age。Most of the students of science are ignorant of its tumultuous history and would benefit much from reading this book。 It may be nothing short of a revelation to many to learn that the principles which are now taken for granted have been around for hardly two centuries。 Think of an era in which carbon dioxide was called ‘fixed air’， oxygen ‘dephlogisticated air’ and so on。 The 17th century was the crucial period in which the stage for transformation from alchemy and religion was set。 The works of Robert Boyle was the backbone of modern chemistry’s measurement paradigm。 Newton also dabbled with alchemy， which may come as a surprise to many。 A still larger shock may be experienced when learning that most of the scientists， including Newton and Boyle were deeply religious figures。 Boyle had intended the lecture series he instituted in science’s foremost debating platform – the Royal Society – to proving ‘Christian beliefs against pagans’！ The array of glassware on which reactions are conducted， the wide range of measuring instruments and dedicated safety measures which constitute the essential components of any decent chemistry lab at present were not available to the pioneers。 Karl Scheele， the Swedish discoverer of elements used his own tongue to classify the compounds using taste as an indicator。 This was a dangerous practice and he had successfully tasted even hydrogen cyanide！ This may be the inspiration for the apocryphal anecdote of a maverick scientist who was desirous of finding out the taste of a highly poisonous cyanide compound meeting his death while doing this on a miniscule portion of the poison。 Similarly， Henry Cavendish measured the strength of electric current by the amount of pain he felt while touching it。 Strathern thus reminds the young students about the legacy they are inheriting from masters of yore。 Lavoisier in 1787 published ‘A Method of Chemical Nomenclature’ which heralded the era in which chemicals were expressed according to their modern names。 Around this time， a lot more elements were also discovered。 The stage was being prepared for a new classification scheme。Mendeleyev’s biography and the insight which helped him find the hidden structure of the elements occupy only the two final chapters。 We find him a gnomic figure from a photograph dating to that time。 He was a typical scholar， in the sense that he made life miserable for family members who had to share the same roof。 Mendeleyev’s wife found a novel way out of this dilemma。 The family had two houses in the city of St。 Petersburg and in the country。 The scientist lived alone and his wife and children occupied the home other than where he was。 And when he visited the place for a change of ambience， she no sooner packed the things and went with the children to the other house。 In 1869， Mendeleyev developed the structure of the periodic table in a sudden surge of insight。 This was so revolutionarily prescient that he was not even bothered at the two vacant spots in his table。 Around 60 elements were discovered at that time and new elements were popping up everywhere。 Mendeleyev predicted that an element will eventually be found between aluminium and uranium with an atomic weight of 68 and another one between silicon and tin with weight 70。 In a fit of supreme confidence， he even named them eka-aluminium and eka-silicon！ Just think about his thrill when barely five years later， gallium was discovered with weight 69 and after ten years， germanium with weight 72 and having the exact physical properties anticipated！ Much reform has been made between that one table and what we see today， but the spirit observed by the Russian genius remains the same。 But it took almost a century for an element to be named in honour of him。 In 1955， mendeleviyum （Md） with atomic number 101 was discovered and suitably named。The author’s experience as a novelist lends a subtle charm to the narrative。 The book is easy to read， as the concepts are illustrated in a down-to-earth way。The author has suggested several books for further reading that will be ideal for serious readers。 It sports an index too。 However， the number of illustrations could have been more。The book is highly recommended。 。。。more

Judy ，

Alchemy or Chemistry？ What scientific findings made it possible to abandon one and move on to the other？ Food for thought。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0