New ordering of elements could help find materials with promising properties

Appears to be an interesting idea! Dimitri Mendeleev, the first publisher of a modern periodic table of elements in 1869, was a Russian too.

" ... Two scientists in Moscow now propose a new way of arranging the elements in a single linear sequence with the smallest change in properties between each successive pair. Using this scheme, they say it will be possible to predict which simple compounds will have similar characteristics, helping to identify new candidate materials with useful properties such as hardness or magnetic behaviour. ..."

New ordering of elements could help find materials with promising properties | Research | Chemistry World (Unfortunately, behind paywall)  Universal sequence of elements index uses atomic radii and electronegativity to make predictions about simple compounds