Mendeleev picked apart Lecoq de Boisbaudran's data on the new element (soon named gallium). Mendeleev claimed, largely without evidence, that the accomplished Lecoq de Boisbaudran must have made mistakes when measuring gallium's weight and density, since they differed from Mendeleev's predictions.
The chutzpah here is incredible, but Mendeleev tended to trust his own instincts and formulas over mere evidence. Crackpots often do. The difference between Mendeleev and most crackpots is that Mendeleev was right: Lecoq de Boisbaudran soon had to publish an embarrassing retraction about gallium's weight and density, changing them to values that vindicated Mendeleev. According to science philosopher and historian Eric Scerri, "The scientific world was astounded to note that Mendeleev, the theorist, had seen the properties of a new element more clearly than the chemist who had discovered it."
