In what year was the term chromatography first used?

In what year was the term chromatography first used?

• A. 1890.
• B. 1910.
• C. 1906.
• D. 1922.

Answer: (C)

Chromatography as a word was first used by Mikhail Tsvet in 1906. He developed a method to separate plant pigments as a solvent moved through a solid medium, producing distinct colored bands, and he named the process chromatography to reflect these color separations—“chroma” meaning color and “graphein” meaning writing. That 1906 publication is the earliest instance of the term being used, which is why that year is the correct answer. Earlier years don’t reflect the first use of the word, and later years refer to subsequent work rather than the origin of the term.

Chromatography as a word was first used by Mikhail Tsvet in 1906. He developed a method to separate plant pigments as a solvent moved through a solid medium, producing distinct colored bands, and he named the process chromatography to reflect these color separations—“chroma” meaning color and “graphein” meaning writing. That 1906 publication is the earliest instance of the term being used, which is why that year is the correct answer. Earlier years don’t reflect the first use of the word, and later years refer to subsequent work rather than the origin of the term.