History of the Periodic Table

Greek thinkers

Proposed that all matter was composed of four basic elements: earth, water, air, and fire.

Lavoisier

Compiled the first extensive list of 33 elements and distinguished between metals and non-metals.

John Dalton

Developed the first table of atomic weights and established modern atomic theory.

Doberiner

Grouped elements into “triads” based on similar chemical properties and atomic weights.

Meyer

Produced a periodic table of 56 elements based on the periodicity of properties like molar volume.

Mendeleev

Created the first widely recognized periodic table by arranging elements by atomic weight and predicting undiscovered elements.

Moseley

Reorganized the periodic table based on atomic number rather than atomic mass using X-ray spectroscopy.

Seaborg

Identified the transuranium elements and reconfigured the table by placing the actinide series below the lanthanide series.