“Mendeleyev’s Dream” by Paul Strathern is a historical novel that tells the story of the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev and his quest to create the periodic table of elements.
The novel begins with Mendeleyev as a young man, studying chemistry at the University of St. Petersburg in Russia. Struggling to make sense of the vast array of chemical elements known at the time, Mendeleyev dreams of finding a way to organize them into a coherent and logical system.
Through trial and error, Mendeleyev eventually hits upon the idea of arranging the elements in a table according to their atomic weights. This allows him to group together elements with similar chemical properties, and to predict the properties of elements that had not yet been discovered.
However, Mendeleyev’s work is not without its challenges. He faces opposition from his colleagues, who view his ideas as unorthodox and unscientific. He also struggles with personal demons, including his love for a married woman and his struggles with alcoholism.
Despite these obstacles, Mendeleyev perseveres, and his periodic table becomes widely accepted as a major breakthrough in the field of chemistry. The novel ends with Mendeleyev reflecting on his life’s work, and on the legacy he has left behind.
Throughout the novel, Strathern provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of 19th-century science, and into the life of one of its most important figures. He captures the excitement and uncertainty of a time when the very foundations of science were being questioned and rebuilt, and he does so in a way that is both engaging and informative.
At its heart, “Mendeleyev’s Dream” is a story about the power of human curiosity and imagination, and about the ways in which science can both inspire and transform us. By delving into the life and work of one of history’s most influential scientists, Strathern invites us to explore the mysteries of the natural world and to dream of what might be possible if we continue to push the boundaries of human knowledge.
