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adsorption

Adhesion of atoms, ions, or molecules from a substance to a surface

EntityQ180254

Subclass of: sorption
, separation process

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions, or molecules from a gas, liquid, or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the adsorbate on the surface of the adsorbent. This process differs from absorption, in which a fluid is dissolved by or permeates a liquid or solid. While adsorption does often precede absorption, which involves the transfer of the absorbate into the volume of the absorbent material, alternatively, adsorption is distinctly a surface phenomenon, wherein the adsorbate does not penetrate through the material surface and into the bulk of the adsorbent. The term sorption encompasses both adsorption and absorption, and desorption is the reverse of sorption.

Overview

All data

48 statements · 23% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Defining formula: \frac{x}{m}=kP^{\frac{1}{n}}
Different from: absorption
Said to be the same as: Q122733355

On other databases

37 identifiers linking adsorption across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

23%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 4, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). adsorption (Q180254). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/adsorption-Q180254