Dmitri Mendeleev is widely credited as the discoverer (or creator) of the modern periodic table, based on his 1869 arrangement of the elements.

Quick Scoop: Who “discovered” the modern periodic table?

If you’re asking “who discovered modern periodic table” , the standard school‑level answer is:

  • Dmitri Mendeleev (Russian chemist, 1834–1907) is regarded as the main discoverer/creator of the periodic table because:
    • In 1869 he arranged known elements in a table by increasing atomic weight and recurring chemical properties.
* He **left gaps** for elements not yet discovered and even **predicted their properties** (like “eka‑aluminium,” later found as gallium).
* When those predicted elements (gallium, scandium, germanium) were discovered with properties close to his predictions, his table gained broad acceptance.

Because of this, he’s often called the “father of the periodic table,” and element 101 was named mendelevium (Md) in his honor.

But what about the modern periodic table?

There’s a bit of nuance in the phrase “modern periodic table” :

  1. Mendeleev’s contribution
    • Gave the first really successful periodic table based on atomic mass and repeating chemical properties.
 * Conceptually, this is the foundation of what we still use today.
  1. Henry Moseley’s refinement
    • In 1913, Henry Moseley showed that elements are better ordered by atomic number (number of protons), not atomic mass.
 * This led to the **modern periodic law** : properties of elements are a periodic function of their atomic number.
 * Many educational sources therefore say the **modern periodic law and modern periodic table were “given” or “invented” by Moseley** , even though the table’s original framework is Mendeleev’s.

So depending on how exam or textbook writers phrase it:

  • “Who discovered the periodic table?” → Dmitri Mendeleev.
  • “Who gave the modern periodic law/modern periodic table (based on atomic number)?” → often Henry Moseley.

Other names you might see (but not as “discoverer”)

You might see these scientists in the story, but they are not typically the one‑line answer to your question:

  • Johann DĂśbereiner – grouped elements into triads (early pattern‑spotting).
  • John Newlands – proposed the law of octaves (repeating pattern every eight elements).
  • Lothar Meyer – independently produced a table very similar to Mendeleev’s and is sometimes called a co‑creator, but Mendeleev’s predictive success is why he’s more famous.

If you’re answering an exam question

For a typical school/competitive‑exam style question:

  • If the question is exactly like your post: “Who discovered modern periodic table?”
    • Safest short answer: Dmitri Mendeleev (this is the commonly accepted exam key in many curricula).
  • If the question explicitly says “modern periodic law” or stresses “based on atomic number” :
    • Answer: Henry Moseley.

TL;DR:
The person most widely credited with discovering the modern periodic table is Dmitri Mendeleev , while Henry Moseley later gave the modern atomic‑number‑based form of the table.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.