The Philosophical Magazine and the Periodic Table of Elements

摘要

The history of the Periodic Table of Elements covers almost 300 years: from the discovery of phosphorus in 1669 to that of Lawrencium in 1961. Before that period, only elements such as copper, silver, gold, mercury, lead and of course carbon were known, which already had accompanied the history of mankind for millennia. The first “wave” of discoveries of new metals occurred at the close of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries and was almost entirely based on “wet chemistry”. Because this period, in which no physics-related techniques of identification were available, seems to be now so remote, it is worthwhile to recall these discoveries in the context and style of their time by making use of the Philosophical Magazine archives.