Mendeleev was one of a dozen or more chemists who aimed to create a classification of elements in the mid‐19th century. Mendeleev distinguished himself among the discoverers of the periodic system in their priority disputes because he was the only one who bothered to provide a clear definition of the entities to be ordered. This paper will first outline the role of Mendeleev's conceptual distinction between “element” and “simple substance” in the process of constructing the periodic table. Symmetrically, it will emphasize how the periodic system reconfigured the notion of the element as a relational entity, defined by its relations with other elements, a notion stabilized by the invention of the concept of isotopes in the early 20th century.

中文翻译：

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通过构造周期性系统重新概念化化学元素

门捷列夫（Mendeleev）是旨在创建19世纪中叶元素分类的十几位化学家之一。门捷列夫在优先权争端中将自己区别于周期性系统的发现者中，因为他是唯一愿意为要订购的实体提供清晰定义的人。本文将首先概述门捷列夫在元素周期表的构建过程中“元素”和“简单物质”之间概念区别的作用。对称地，它将强调周期系统如何将元素的概念重新配置为由其与其他元素的关系所定义的关系实体，这一概念在20世纪初期被同位素概念的发明所稳定。