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Why did Mikhail S. Tsvet call the technique chromatography?
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chromatography
Overview of the chemical technique of chromatography.
Mikhail S. Tsvet named the technique chromatography because his experiments involved the separation of plant pigments, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids, which appeared as a series of discrete, coloured bands on an adsorbent column.12
The term is derived from Greek words that translate to "colour writing". Because Tsvet was working specifically with these coloured substances, he chose a name that reflected the visual result of the separation process.2