Elements of the Fifth Group of the Periodic System of D.I. Mendeleev – the Elements of Life

Abstract

In the popular science review, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the first publication of the Periodic Table of chemical elements by D.I. Mendeleev, the elements of the 5th (main) Group (namely nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth) are considered. The history of these elements discovery and some their properties are shortly described. The elements of the fifth group are also called “the elements of life”, which is linked with both the development of living organisms themselves and their compounds importance for human life. The review confirms this thesis in a popular-science form, using the available literature data on the role of chemical compounds of Group 5th elements in the development of living nature as well as in the progress of human civilization.