MENDELEVIUM

Mendelevium is a synthetic element with the symbol Md (formerly Mv). It was named after Dmitri Mendeleev, father of the periodic table of the chemical elements. A century and a half ago, Dmitri Mendeleev took a crucial step in this search for order among the elements, by publishing the first draft of his periodic table. The Russian chemist jotted down the symbols for the chemical elements, putting them in order according to their atomic weights and inventing the periodic table. It was perhaps the greatest breakthrough in the history of chemistry.