https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/geochemistry
Victor Goldschmidt (1888–1947) is often considered the ‘father of geochemistry’. One of Goldschmidt’s achievements was to begin to systematize the behaviour of the chemical elements in an Earth Sciences context via his classification of them according to their preferred host phases on silicate Earth (Lithophile, siderophile, chalcophile and atmophile). This is still one of the most widespread geochemical classifications of the elements today and was an important step in terms of bringing the principles of chemistry to bear on the study of the Earth.