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

2 women using scientific equipment
news

Science History Institute and Pittsburgh Conference to Present Pittcon Heritage Award to Jeanette Grasselli Brown

The noted analytical chemist, entrepreneur, and researcher will be honored at the 2025 conference in Boston this March.

Dow ad from the 1950s
news

Institute Awarded More Than $590K in Grants from NEH and Open Philanthropy

Funds will support new research projects, including collections archiving and a conference on the history and future of biotechnology.

people studying in a library
news

Applications for 2025–2026 Beckman Center Fellowships Now Open

Researchers can apply by January 15 for various long- and short-term programs, including a new $2,500 fellowship at the British Library.

    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.