Kudingidwe Ngekusasa le-Periodic Table Esifundweni Se-Royal Society

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Umlando nekusasa le-Periodic Table belisezithebeni esifundweni sikawonkewonke seRoyal Society of South Africa esethulwe nguSolwazi John Douglas Hey, ongusolwazi osathatha umhlalaphansi kodwa osaqhubeka nokuba ngusolwazi we-Physics noMcwaningi oMkhulu e-UKZN. Lesi sifundo siqondane nomkhosi weminyaka eyi-150 wokugubha ukusungulwa kwe-Periodic Table yashicilelwa wu-Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, uSolwazi wezamaKhemikhali wase-St Petersburg e-Russia.

U-Hey uthe i-Periodic Table njengamanje imele imisebenzi yamakhulu eminyaka kanye yezifundiswa ezehlukene zasemazweni amaningi – okubalwa kuzo amavukana nezinkakha zosayensi, abantu abasebenza bodwa, kanye namathimba abacwaningi abaxhaswe ngezizumbulu zemali, zahlala phansi zajula.

'I-Periodic Table yokuqala yayiveza ulwazi oludidiyelwe lwangaleso sikhathi lwama-elements ezinto zonke,’ kusho u-Hey. ‘Isisekelo eyakhelwe kusona yizithelo zomsebenzi wezinkulungwane zeminyaka wabacwaningi abaningi, kusukela kucatshangwa ukuthi kune-atom yinjululwazi yomGrikhi u-Democritus, kuye kumsebenzi wama-alchemist okuqala, kuye kosokhemisi abanjengo-Antoine Lavoisier no-John Dalton ngekhulunyaka le-18 nelama-20.’

Uchaze wathi kusukela ngonyaka wama-1869, i-Periodic Table isithuthukile isuka kuma-elements angama-55 noku“qagela” okuwu-11, yafinyelela kwezingama-118 kwengezwa i-Oganesson kuzona.

‘Empeleni lokhu kuhlukaniswa ngendlela kwama-elements ngokwezinga lamakhemikhali nangokomumo wawo kusho ukuchazwa kwempicabadala futhi kuwubufakazi bezithelo zokubambisana phakathi kososayensi, hhayi abadumile kuphela kepha nalabo abangadumile, bamazwe amaningi omsebenzi wabo wokuzinikela wenza lo msebenzi waba yimpumelelo,’ kusho u-Hey.

‘Impela, bonke ubuchwepheshe besimanjemanje kwezikagesi, ezokuhluza ulwazi, ucwaningo lwezemibani nezomkhathi luncike olwazini lwethu lwala ma-element. Amandla ethu okuxazulula izinkinga esibhekene nazo, nezinselelo ezinkulu, emhlabeni okuthinta ukuncipha kwezinto ezikhiqizwa wumhlaba, ukulimala kwemvelo kanye nocwaningo ngezasemkhathini kuncike ekusebenziseni ulwazi oluqukethwe ku-Periodic Table,’ kusho yena.

U-Hey uthe umbuzo omkhulu namuhla uthi njengoba umsebenzi wabantu usunyuse isibalo sama-element sisuka kuma-94 (emvelo) saze safinyelela kwali-118, ingabe kufanele silindele ukwandiswa kwe-Periodic Table esikhathini esizayo.

‘Yikuphi ukwanda kwama-element amasha esingakulindela?’ kubuza yena. Ngemuva kokuveza izinto ezinhle ezenzekile ohambweni lwe-Periodic Table kuze kube manje, u-Hey uvale isifundo ngombuzo othi: ‘Ngabe abayosilandela bayophumelela yini ukufinyelela kulokho okuthiwa “yi-Island of Stability” yama-element amasha, aqinile nangasetshenziswa ukwakha izinto ezintsha ezingaziwa manje?’

U-Hey uthe ngokolwazi esinalo nokuqonda esinako kumanje kwe-atomic physics ne-quantum mechanics, i-nuclear structure nemicikilisho ye-quantum field theory, ayikacaci impendulo yalo mbuzo.

U-Hey wafundisa e-University of Cape Town kusukela ngonyaka we-1974 kuya kowe-1990. Waba yi-Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow e-Ruhr University, e-West Germany, kusukela ngowe-1988 kuya kowe-1989, wasebenza e-Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter e-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, e-Forschungszentrum Juelich, eJalimane, kusukela ngowezi-1991 kuya kowe-1995. Wafika ngowezi-1995 e-UKZN ezoba ngusolwazi we-Physics kwaze kwaba ngowezi-2009. Manje usenguThisha ovakashile e-Sikoleni seKhemistri neFiziksi.

Amagama: ngu-Sally Frost

Isithombe: ngu-Bheki Mthembu