Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleyev was and is one of the most prominent chemists of all time. Mendeleyev was born in Tobolsk, Siberia on February 7, 1834. He was the 14th and last child of Maria Dmitrievna Korniliev and Ivan Pavlovitch Mendeleev. His father was a teacher at a local gymnasium, but died while Dmitri was very young, leaving his wife to support the large family. Mendeleyev's mother then took a job managing a family-owned glass company in Aremziansk.
Mendeleyev learned some basic science from his brother-in-law Bessargin, who had been exiled to Siberia because of his affiliation with the Dekabrists, a revolutionary group. As these teachings progressed, it became apparent that Mendeleyev possessed a brilliant mind for complex topics. At 14 years old, Mendeleyev was enrolled at the gymnasium in Tobolsk, but because he was so focused on science, his performance in other areas of study, such as latin and history, were only mediocre.
Dmitrij Mendelejevs periodiska system från 1871 m...
filedesc Author: Mendeleyev (1869)
A portrait of Russian chemist Дмитрий ИвÐ...But with support from his mother, he passed his gymnasium exams and started to look for a university to attend.
After being rejected by the first university he applied to in Moscow, Mendeleyev and his mother found a friend of Ivan's at the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Institute. Mendeleyev took the entrance exams, and was admitted in fall of 1850. Shortly after his enrollment, Mendeleyev's mother and sister both died of tuberculosis. Mendeleyev continued to work hard, and in 1855, graduated at the top of his class. He then traveled to Europe to continue his studies. While working at Heidleberg with Robert Bunsen, he developed his theory of "absolute boiling point", or critical temperature.
In 1861, Mendeleyev returned to St. Petersburg, and shortly after was named Professor of Chemistry at the Technological Institute. Six years later, he was also appointed professor of general chemistry at the university of...