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The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular method of displaying the chemical elements, first devised in 1869 by the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. Mendeleev intended the table to illustrate recurring ("periodic") trends in the properties of the elements. The layout of the table has been refined and extended over time, as many new elements have been discovered since Mendeleev's time, and new theoretical models have been developed to explain chemical behavior. Various different layouts are possible to emphasize different aspects of behavior; the most common forms, however, are still quite similar to Mendeleev's original design.The periodic table is now ubiquitous within the academic discipline of chemistry, providing an extremely useful framework to classify, systematize and compare all the many different forms of chemical behavior. The table has also found wide application in physics, biology, engineering, and industry. The current standard table contains 116 confirmed elements.
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