Origin of the Periodic Table. I know what the periodic table looks like, but where did it come from? Whose idea was it to arrange the elements this way? He set them out in order of atomic weight, and then grouped them into rows and columns based on their chemical and physical properties. 1869...that's way before the Schrödinger model, or even the Rutherford model. That's right. Based on the gaps in his table, Mendeleev even succeeded in predicting the existence and properties of several new elements. That's pretty impressive.
His basic rule was this: the elements in any column, or group, of the table are similar to their column-mates. Click here if you'd like to read more about Mendeleev's methods and the chemistry of his time. WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements. The Periodic Table . Intro. Dynamic Periodic Table. Periodic Table Game.