Technikatörténeti szemle 25. (2001-02)

Papers of the Third International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Budapest, 2–4 July, 1999) – First Part - Tansjö, Levi: Mendelejev and the Nobel Prize in chemistry

Institute in Stockholm, proposed Moissan and praised him at the meetings and in his written statement. Moissan had as the first one isolated the element fluorine in 1886 and had thoroughly studied its compounds. He had introduced an electrically heated oven, by which he had made many important discoveries on metals and specially on metal carbides. Some of his discoveries had found industrial applications. The Committee member Otto Pettersson, professor in chemistry at Stockholms Hogskola, wrote about Mendelejev's discovery of the Periodic Table and its importance for both chemistry and physics. He was anxious to point out that the words in Nobel's will about the preceding year had been interpreted in the statutes for the prize so that if the importance of a discovery becomes understood or obvious a long time after the discovery was made, then even and old discovery may be awarded. Pettersson argued that it was the discovery and studies of the noble gases in the 1890s which had made the importance of the Periodic Table fully understood. Klason raised the objection that this argument was just nonsense. He meant that the importance of the Periodic Table was fully realized already in the 1880s and that it since then had been described in all text- books in chemistry. It was too late to give the Nobel prize for a discovery from 1869 or 1870. When it came to voting Klason voted for Moissan and Pettersson and the Committee members Widman, Soderbaum and Hammarsten voted for Mendelejev, so Klason lost with 1-4. The Committee then had to continue its work together with the four members of the Academy's chemical class, who were not in the Committee. At a meeting Klason surprisingly declared that he had changed his mind and that he now agreed with the rest of the Committee that the importance of the Periodic Table became obvious first with the discoveries of the noble gases and that Mendelejev could be proposed to the Nobel prize in chemistry. His statement so far must have been very satisfying to the other members of the Committee, who now believed they could ananimously propose Mendelejev. But Klason added: Mendelejev could not be proposed to the whole prize but had to share it with Cannizzaro, since without his works there wouldn't have been any Periodic Table. His fellow members still could be content as Mendelejev at least would get half a prize. But Klason now said that Cannizzaro had not been proposed by anyone according to the statutes and therefore could not be awarded half a prize. So now he started again to talk for Moissan. When it came to voting the four Academy members supported Klason and voted for Moissan and Mendelejev got the same four votes as in the Committee. The Academy of Sciences decided in October to give Moissan the prize in chemistry for 1906. J. J. Thomson got the prize in physics that year. Mendelejev never got the Nobel prize in chemistry. He died on the 2nd of February 1907.