Anionophoretic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Of or relating to the migration of negatively charged ions toward the positive electrode during electrophoresis or a similar electrical process
2. Describing the motion of anions in an electric field, particularly their directed movement toward the anode in laboratory or medical applications
3. Pertaining to the electrical phenomenon in which anions travel toward a positive electrode, used in analytical chemistry and medical treatments

Etymology: Michael Faraday coined "anion" in his work on electrolysis, drawing on Greek. The first half, "ana," means "up," and "ion" comes from "ienai," meaning "to go." Faraday chose these because, in his account of electric current, anions travel up toward the anode, the positive electrode. The word is therefore a picture of motion: a charged particle going toward a pole. The rest of the word comes from "phoresis," a Greek noun meaning "being carried," from "pherein," "to bear." Scientists use "-phoretic" for processes in which something is carried along by a force, most often an electric field. "Anionophoretic" joins these pieces with a connecting "o," so it describes something moved specifically by negatively charged ions in an electric field.