Audiobook The Principles of Chemistry, Volume I

This foundational work by Dmitry Mendeleyev presents the core principles of chemistry through the lens of the periodic law and the indestructibility of matter. The author establishes chemistry not merely as a collection of empirical facts, but as a precise science governed by unchangeable natural laws and internal atomic forces. The text begins with a detailed examination of water, its physical states, and its universal role as a solvent. Mendeleyev explores the complex nature of solutions, treating them as unstable, dissociating fluid compounds that bridge the gap between physical mixtures and definite chemical bonds.

The discussion progresses through the quantitative laws of stoichiometry, gas laws, and the behavior of partial pressures, laying out the theoretical framework necessary for understanding chemical affinity. Special attention is given to the classification of elements, their atomic weights, and their distribution in series and groups, which culminates in the periodic system. Throughout the text, the author emphasizes the importance of experimental verification, rejecting stagnant realism and visionary contemplation alike in favour of rigorous scientific inquiry. The volume provides a comprehensive methodology for understanding chemical reactions, combining, decomposing, and rearranging matter while preserving the fundamental principle that matter is everlasting.