Mendeleev's first published periodic table with the elements arranged vertically. Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (February 8, 1834, February 2, 1907) was a Russian chemist and inventor. Using the table, he predicted the properties of elements yet to be discovered. In 1863 there were 56 known elements with a new element being discovered at a rate of approximately one per year. After becoming a teacher, Mendeleev wrote the definitive textbook of his time: Principles of Chemistry (two volumes, 1868-70).