The Discovery of Electrokinetic Phenomena: Setting the Record Straight

Abstract

Electro-osmosis and electrophoresis were discovered by F. F. Reuss in Moscow in 1807. Or so the story goes. This Essay critically examines the contributions of three scientists to the discovery of electrokinetic phenomena. The evidence suggests that Reuss did indeed discover electro-osmosis, which takes its name (indirectly) from the work of Porrett. Contrary to current consensus, Gautherot made the earliest known observation of electrophoresis.