Édouard Chatton (French: [edwaʁ ʃatɔ̃]; 11 October 1883 – 23 April 1947)[1] was a French biologist who first characterized the distinction between the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cellular types.

His initial interest was in various human pathogenic protozoa, members of the Apicomplexa and Trypanosomatids.

[3] He first coined the terms "eukaryote" and "prokaryote" in a 1925 paper,[4] but did not elaborate on the concept; Roger Stanier and C. B. van Niel later adopted the nomenclature and popularized the classification of cellular organisms into prokaryotes and eukaryotes in a 1962 article.

[2] At the Pasteur Institute, Chatton met and became a mentor to André Michel Lwoff, future Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.

The two scientists remained associates until Chatton's death in 1947, in Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.