Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleyev, better known as D. I. Mendeleyev (Russian: Дми́трий Ива́нович Менделе́ев; 8 February [O.S. 27 January] 1834 – 2 February [O.S. 20 January] 1907), was a Russian chemist and inventor who formulated the Periodic Law and created his own version of the periodic table of elements, which he called the Periodic Table of Elements in 1863–1864. Mendeleev’s relatives were also notable scientists: Pyotr Kapitsa won a Nobel Prize in physics in 1978; Olga Radushevskaya was one of the world’s first female gynecologists; Vladimir Vasilyevich Engelhardt authored major works on organic chemistry, while Dmitri Mendeleyev (son) became an accomplished geochemist., was born in Tobolsk, Siberia on 8 February 1834 to Ivan Pavlovich Mendeleev and Maria Dmitriyeva Volkhovskaya. His grandfather Pavel Maximovich Sokolnikov belonged to a family known as Sokolniks or Sobakevihes belonging to tobolk gentry with roots dating back to 1649.:20 His mother Maria came from a large family of Siberian peasants who owned 1250 acres (510 ha).:20 The village consisted mostly of farmers working their land with some small scale manufacturing businesses operated out by petty bourgeoisie merchants such as butchers, tanners and blacksmiths among others catering for local needs.:21
Mendeleyev was raised Orthodox Christian,:22 but following his confirmation at age 13 he showed little interest in Church affairs for the rest of his life,:23 although he maintained some religious beliefs according to his biographers Anatoly Kostrov and Boris Golendukhin.:24 During his youth, many stories were told about him showing both physical strength and mental agility which made him seem like “a walking miracle” according to Kostrov writing in 1968.:25 In 1850, at age 16 he enrolled into what would become First Moscow State University whereupon completion in 1855 he moved onto Saint Petersburg taking up an appointment at the Main Pedagogical Institute as an assistant laboratory technician teaching physics among other subjects over next few years until securing professorship position teaching chemistry at Simferopol Gymnasium No 2 by 1860/61 academic year teaching there until 1865 when left post after accepting chair position back home at Tobolsk gymnasium where would work until 1867 before returning again Petersburg this time working under Aleksandr Menshutkin conducting research on steroids eventually publishing seminal paper On Combining Powers of Alcohols with Acid Amides which brought him much acclaim within scientific community resulting awarding Doctorate degree Sciences from Petersburg University that same year.,, Despite being only 33 years old when received doctorate already had significant achievements behind him starting with creation own version periodic table elements something that would make name famous worldwide.,, Was not first attempt systematize chemical elements known time had been tried before most notably by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac John Alexander Reina Newlands William Odling amongst others however all these previous efforts share common failing cannot be said truly predictive since they merely placed chemicals groups based upon similarities properties rather than any systematic principle.,, What set apart successful was realization needed criterion could used order predict unknown element’s properties once found., This led him develop two key concepts later embodied what become law namely valence electrons atomic weight whereby former determined latter using simple whole number ratios between weights different elements sharing similar valence shells e.g oxygen sulfur selenium tellurium have respective atomic weights 15 30 35 80 so ratio these four 15_30=1:2 30_35=3:4 35_80=7:16 1:2::3:4::7