China-Made Periodic Table of Elements Becomes International Standards

Xinhua, 12 December 2001

XI'AN, December 12 (Xinhua)-- A periodic table of elements compiled by Chinese scientists has recently been adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) as new standards.

First developed by the Russian scientist Mendeleyev in 1869, the periodic table of elements has been revised and expanded over the years.

Chinese experts have, in the past decade, determined the atomic weight of ten of the 118 elements listed on the table. Two major compilers of the new table, Xiao Yingkai from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhang Lianqing from Beijing University, determined the atomic weight of indium in 1991.

Their new numerical value for indium was confirmed at the 36th IUPAC meeting. This is the first time the international chemical community has adopted an atomic weight determined by Chinese scientists.

Xiao and Zhang's colleagues have contributed to re-determining the weight of thulium and zinc, which were confirmed at an international meeting in Australia in July.

Determination of the numerical values of these elements has given people more accurate knowledge of the world, and it shows China has made progress in an area that was once monopolized by developed countries, says Xiao.