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Whose work identified atomic number as the key to the periodic table?

ChemistryPeriodic Table

Quick Answer

Henry Moseley showed in 1913 that the periodic table should be ordered by atomic number, not atomic mass. That solved several inconsistencies in Mendeleev’s table.

The Full Story

Henry Moseley’s X-ray studies in 1913 demonstrated that each element has a unique nuclear charge, now called atomic number. His work showed that the periodic arrangement of elements depends on atomic number rather than atomic weight. This corrected mismatches in the earlier table and helped place several elements in their proper positions. Moseley’s finding became one of the most important foundations of modern chemistry.

Key Facts

1.1913 X-ray experiments
2.introduced atomic number as the ordering principle
3.resolved several periodic table anomalies

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Suggested video title for this topic:

"The experiment that fixed the periodic table for good"