Wednesday Wisdom

WHO?

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev was a Russian chemist, professor and inventor born on February 8, 1834, in Tobolsk, Siberia, Russia. He was the youngest of 14 and his father passed away when he was just 13 years old. His mother, realizing she had gifted son, rode by horseback 1400 miles to Moscow to enroll him in university. Being denied entrance, they embarked on a 400-mile journey to St Petersburg. His passion for science and notably chemistry gained him acceptance at St Petersburg to study and then went on the University of Heidelberg where he received his doctorate in 1959. He returned to St Peterburg as a professor and a scientist and produced research that started an understanding of chemistry and its role quantum mechanics.

What he produced

Mendeleev's most notable contribution to science was his development of the periodic table of elements. In 1869, he published his landmark work, "Principles of Chemistry," in which he presented the first version of the periodic table. Mendeleev organized the known elements based on their atomic weights and observed patterns in their chemical properties. Elements are pure substances composed of atoms that have the same number of protons (positive charged) in their nuclei. His table included gaps for elements that were yet to be discovered, and he even made accurate predictions about their properties.

There are 63 naturally occurring elements that were organized on Mendeleev’s periodic table. Understanding both their different and like properties of the elements, he organized them logically to in columns and row. He primarily organized the elements by their atomic weights and chemical properties, which led to the discovery of periodic patterns. The concept of atomic numbers, representing the number of protons in an atom's nucleus, was developed by British scientist Henry Mosley in 1914. Having new advances in science, he provided a more accurate and systematic basis for organizing the periodic table, there are now 118 elements listed.

The periodic table is organized in such a way that elements with similar properties are grouped together in columns (known as groups or families), and elements with sequential atomic numbers are arranged in rows (known as periods). Periodicity is observed when you move across a row or down a column in the periodic table. Mendeleev was so exact that he could predict and describe missing elements that had yet to be discovered. One such element is named in his honor is Mendelevium which wasn't discovered until 1955.

2024-why do we care?

Metaphysics is the philosophic branch of studying beyond our physical being. Does actually knowing our physical (organic) chemistry actually answer or offer clues? It does suggest that we have a lot in common with all life forms.

The periodic table of elements provides the logical explanation as to why all life on earth is carbon based.

Why carbon?

Complexity: Thermodynamics is the study of energy and matter and defines how systems work together. Part of the second law of thermodynamics is the principle of minimum energy also known as the principle of stability. Elements have particular electron (negative charged) outer shells and will bond with other elements making themselves more stable in what is called covalent chemical bonding. The periodic table organizes the elements based on their bonding characteristics. Columns 1 and 2 indicate the number of elements an element can bond with. Column 13 includes elements that bond with 3 others, column 14 includes elements that bond with 4, and columns 15 through 18 show a decrease in bonding ability. The noble gases in column 18 have zero bonding ability because they are already stable. Carbon sits on top of the 14th column as the lightest element. It is grouped in this column because it can bond to 4 other elements, which means it can produce complex life forms.

Abundance: Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen, helium and oxygen. Given the vast amount of supply, carbon makes sense in supporting the growth of life. Carbon is the second largest component to human life after oxygen.

Bond stability: carbon’s ability to bond with so many other elements not only lend to complexity, but it also makes the system stronger and stable with its molecular bonding.

From primates to mushrooms, we are all carbon based. Carbon is uniquely suited for life because of the combination of abundance, complexity and stability, a logical conclusion by the universe.

Perhaps as artificial intelligence and robotics advance towards singularity*, we will see a life form made of silicon - which brings us back to the metaphysical question- what is it to be conscious?

And now you know...

*Singularity: This concept, popularized by futurists like Ray Kurzweil, refers to a point in the future when technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseen changes to human civilization. It is often associated with the development of superintelligent artificial intelligence that surpasses human intelligence, potentially leading to dramatic shifts in society, economy, and human life.

Thank you, Dad, for the gift of curiosity.

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.