The first crystallized virus is

Explanation

The first virus to be crystallized was the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), discovered by Wendell Stanley in 1935. TMV is a plant virus that infects tobacco and other members of the Solanaceae family, causing characteristic mosaic-like patterns on the leaves. Stanley was able to isolate and crystallize the virus, demonstrating that it was a distinct chemical entity composed of protein and RNA, rather than a simple toxin or living organism. This groundbreaking work provided the first clear evidence that viruses could be studied as biochemical particles, laying the foundation for modern virology and molecular biology.