The Periodic-Table-A Universal Icon: Its Birth 150 Years Ago, and Its Popularization Through Literature Art and Music

Sason Shaik; Eduard Cremades; Santiago Alvarez

doi:10.1002/anie.201904584

The Periodic-Table-A Universal Icon: Its Birth 150 Years Ago, and Its Popularization Through Literature Art and Music

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2019 Sep 16;58(38):13194-13206. doi: 10.1002/anie.201904584. Epub 2019 Aug 12.

Authors

Sason Shaik¹, Eduard Cremades², Santiago Alvarez³

Affiliations

¹ The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Institute of Chemistry, Jerusalem, 9190400, Israel.
² Escola Isabel de Villena, Joan Miró 41-43, 08950, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.
³ Universitat de Barcelona, Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica and Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional, Martí i Franquès, 1-11, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.

PMID: 31243846
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201904584

Abstract

This Essay projects the spark of genius of Mendeleev, whose efforts led to the effective formulation of the periodic table, which has placed the entire world of chemical matter on a palm. The periodic table gave rise to a central paradigm, which did for chemistry what Newton had done for physics and Darwin for biology. Subsequently the Essay recounts the popularization of the Periodic Table through literature by Primo Levi, Oliver Sacks and others, and through music and art by composers and artists, such as Jerry Feldman, the King Crimson band, Tom Lehrer, and George Brecht, Blair Bradshaw, Eugènia Balcells, etc.

Keywords: Mendeleev; Oliver Sacks; Primo Levi; history of chemistry; periodic table.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Abstract

Publication types

Grants and funding