Question

What are the merits and the limitations of Mendeleev's periodic table?

Answer 1

Merits of Mendeleev's periodic table

• Based on the properties of the other elements in the same group, Mendeleev left certain gaps in his periodic table for some of the then undiscovered elements. These missing elements were given the names Eka boron, Eka aluminum, and Eka silicon by him. These elements were later found and given the names scandium, gallium, and germanium.
• Mendeleev corrected some elements' atomic weights that had been questioned.

Demerits of Mendeleev's periodic table

• In Mendeleev's periodic table, there are several pains of elements where the element with a higher atomic weight is placed before the element with a lower atomic weight in order to ensure chemical property similarity between elements belonging to the same group.
• Hydrogen's stance is illogical.
• Atomic weights differ amongst isotopes of a given element. In Mendeleev's periodic chart, however, there is no place for isotopes.