New York Times: Is It Time to Upend the Periodic Table?

The Institute’s Brigitte Van Tiggelen is quoted in this article on Mendeleev’s chart and the variations proposed in the 150 years since.

August 27, 2019

Brigitte Van Tiggelen, a chemistry historian at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, discussed the work of Ida Noddack, a German chemist who discovered rhenium, and Lise Meitner, an Austrian-Swedish physicist who, with Otto Hahn, discovered protactinium. Dr. Van Tiggelen is an editor of a new book, Women in Their Element, that explores more than 30 similar stories, including, of course, that of Marie Curie, who discovered two elements, radium and polonium, and twice won the Nobel Prize.

“We present the story as a communal enterprise,” Dr. Van Tiggelen said.

Read more in the New York Times >>

Above: 3-D wooden periodic table model designed by Edward G. Mazurs, ca. 1974. Science History Institute.

More News

Fellows at work in the Othmer Library at the Institute.
news

Science History Institute Welcomes 2024–2025 Beckman Center Fellows

Our scholars study a wide range of topics in the history and social studies of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences.

people gathered outside at a festival
news

Color History, Dyeing Demos, Cyanotype Printing Draw Record-Setting Crowd at Institute’s 2nd Annual Curious Histories Fest

Science lovers of all ages explore every shade of the rainbow at ‘Color Your World’ celebration.

news

Science History Institute Launches ‘Voices of Science’ Oral History Video Project

Hear the stories of five scientists who faced personal, professional, and social challenges in their careers.

    Republish

    Copy the above HTML to republish this content. We have formatted the material to follow our guidelines, which include our credit requirements. Please review our full list of guidelines for more information. By republishing this content, you agree to our republication requirements.