VIDEO
HIGHLIGHT
Log InSign up
Adsorption vs Absorption (Difference between Adsorbing and Absorbing)
SummaryTranscriptChat

Adsorption vs Absorption (Difference between Adsorbing and Absorbing)

New Section

This section explains the difference between adsorption and absorption, focusing on their key characteristics and examples.

Adsorption

  • Adsorption is a surface phenomenon that occurs on the surface of materials.
  • Atoms, molecules, or ions stick to the surface of activated carbon or other materials.
  • It can happen with gases, liquids, or substances dissolved in solids.
  • An analogy to remember adsorption is thinking about advertisements stuck on the surface of things like buses or buildings.

Absorption

  • Absorption involves atoms, molecules, or ions entering into the substance's bulk phase (solid or liquid).
  • An example is food being absorbed into your bloodstream through your abdomen after digestion.
  • Absorption can occur with everyday items like paper towels absorbing water or gases being absorbed into solutions.

New Section

This section discusses activated carbon as an example of adsorption and its applications in water filters and air filters.

Activated Carbon for Adsorption

  • Activated carbon has a large surface area that allows it to capture particles through adsorption.
  • It is used in water filters to remove contaminants like mercury and in air filters to eliminate toxins.
  • Examples include Brita filters for filtering drinking water and masks for filtering out pollutants from the air.
Video description

Remembering the difference between Adsorption and Absorption can be a challenge. In this video we'll learn a simple way to remember, look at the definitions, and the some examples. The key to understanding the difference is that Adsorption takes place on the surface of a substance. Absorption takes place throughout the substance. Adsorption The adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas, liquid or dissolved solid to a surface. Examples: activated carbon filters, chromatography Activated carbon/charcoal is a good example of adsorption. Due to numerous pores it has lots of surfaces. If we pass polluted air over it, we can adsorb the toxins. Absorption A process in which atoms, molecules or ions enter some bulk phase (liquid or solid material). Examples: paper towels absorbing water, CO2 from air into NaOH Paper towels or a sponge are an example of absorption. Water will soak into the towel or sponge. It is what we call a bulk phenomenon because the entire material is involved, not just the surface. Images: ---Bus: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foxity_%C3%A0_Louvre-Rivoli_par_Cramos_(cropped).JPG ---Formula 1 Car: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One#/media/File:Jolyon_Palmer_-_Renault_F1_RS16_(29463209074).jpg ---Activated Carbon: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Activated_Charcoal.jpg