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How did Mikhail S. Tsvet separate plant pigments with chromatography?

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What is chromatography? — chromatography Overview of the chemical technique of chromatography.

Mikhail S. Tsvet developed the technique of adsorption chromatography by applying a rational, organized approach to separate plant pigments, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids.12

His method involved the following steps:
* Preparation: He extracted pigments from plant leaves using solvents like ether and alcohol.1
* Column Packing: He packed a vertical glass column with an adsorptive material, such as calcium carbonate, alumina, silica, or powdered sugar.12
* Separation: He added the pigment solution to the top of the column and washed it through with an organic solvent.2

As the solution percolated through the column, the pigments separated into discrete, colored bands divided by pigment-free regions. Because he worked with these colored substances, Tsvet coined the term "chromatography," derived from Greek words meaning "colour writing".2