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The periodic table is a tabular method of displaying the chemical elements. Its invention is generally credited to the Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleïev in 1869. He intended the table to illustrate recurring trends in the properties of the elements and the layout of the table has been extended over time as new elements have been discovered. The periodic table is now ubiquitous within the academic discipline of chemistry, providing an easy framework to classify, systemise and compare the many forms of chemical behaviour.