adsorb

American  

[ad-sawrb, -zawrb] / ædˈsɔrb, -ˈzɔrb /

verb (used with object)

Physical Chemistry.

1. to gather (a gas, liquid, or dissolved substance) on a surface in a condensed layer.

   Charcoal will adsorb gases.

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adsorb British  

/ ədˈsɔːb, -ˈzɔːb /

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which a substance, usually a gas, accumulates on the surface of a solid forming a thin film, often only one molecule thick Compare absorb

   to adsorb hydrogen on nickel

   oxygen adsorbs on tungsten

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Other Word Forms

• adsorbability noun
• adsorbable adjective
• adsorbent adjective
• adsorption noun
• adsorptive adjective
• adsorptively adverb

Etymology

Origin of adsorb

First recorded in 1880–85; ad- + (ab)sorb

Example Sentences

"The formation of a copper-carbamic acid complex within the pores suggests strong and selective interactions with CO2, which is crucial for ensuring that CO2 is preferentially adsorbed over other gases in flue emissions."

From Science Daily

Rohde, Long and their colleagues are exploring variants of this metal hydride MOF to see what other gases they can adsorb, and also modifications that will allow such materials to adsorb even more CO2.

From Science Daily

First they used classical computers to model how molecules adsorb and desorb from catalyst particles; then they applied their quantum computer to identify the most likely reaction pathway of the electrons and protons involved.

From Science Magazine

Moreover, the presence of adsorbed water molecules in MOFs further reduces their effective thermal conductivity.

From Science Daily

To overcome this, scientists at UCL, in collaboration with Yaqrit, developed tiny oral carbon beads, that have a special microscopic physical structure designed to adsorb both large and small molecules in the gut.

From Science Daily