The Italian-Russian botanist, Mikhail Semyonovich Tsvet (Tswett, 1872-1919) made his most lasting contribution to chemistry with his invention of chromatography in 1900. Tsvet was born in Asti, Italy, His father, Semyon Nikolaevich Tsvet (1829-1900) was a member of the Russian foreign service. His mother, Maria Nikolaevna de Dorozza (b, 1846), was Italian, but had lived much of her life in Russia. Tsvet's birth was premature and difficult, and Maria Nikolaevna died shortly afterwards. Tsvet's father took his baby son to Lausanne, where he was raised by a nurse. In 1885, he moved to Geneva, where he entered the Gymnasium, graduating in 1891. He entered the University of Geneva, where he took his Bachelor's degree in Physics and Mathematics. He changed course upon graduating and took his Ph.D. in botany, in 1896. That year, his father was recalled to Russia, so he moved to St. Petersburg, where he worked five years in the Biological Laboratory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1899 he passed the examinations for the degree of <i>Magistr</i> at Kazan University, qualifying him for a tenurable faculty position in a Russian University. Tsvet first invented chromatography in 1900, while studying plant pigments, and he made the first formal report a year later, although the publication of his paper did not occur until 1905-1906. Tsvet's work and career will be discussed.

Celebrating the sesquicentennial of the birth of Mikhail Semyonovich Tsvet (1872-1919), the father of chromatography

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.