# absorb / adsorb

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorb-adsorb/77035>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2001, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorb-adsorb/77035 "2001-08-19T19:26:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorb-adsorb/77035/1 "2001-08-19T19:26:50Z")

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[li]absorb (absorption)[/li][li]adsorb (adsorption)[/li]  
I have looked up these two words in the Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, but I am not quite sure I get the full grasp of what the difference between the two is, if any. I do know they are very closely related.

Anyone care to enlighten me as to what the difference is??

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**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorb-adsorb/77035/2 "2001-08-19T19:33:50Z")

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In the process of adsorption I don’t think anything is absorbed i.e soaked up.

Adsorption is a process in which a substance, normally a gas, gathers on the surface of another substance, normally a solid, to form a thin film.

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**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorb-adsorb/77035/3 "2001-08-19T19:35:20Z")

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adsorb v : accumulate of the surface; of liquids or gases, in chemistry

[http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=adsorb](http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=adsorb)

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorb-adsorb/77035/4 "2001-08-19T19:38:43Z")

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In absorption, the substance being absorbed is actually taken physically into the substance doing the absorption - e.g., water into a sponge.

In adsorption, the substance being adsorbed (a gas or liquid) is held as a thin layer on the surface of the substance doing the adsorbing (a liquid or solid) - it does not enter inside.

“Absorb” is a much more common term - “adsorb” is technical term mostly limited to scientific contexts.

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**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorb-adsorb/77035/5 "2001-08-19T19:49:22Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Colibri \*  
> \*\*In absorption, the substance being absorbed is actually taken physically into the substance doing the absorption - e.g., water into a sponge.
> 
> In adsorption, the substance being adsorbed (a gas or liquid) is held as a thin layer on the surface of the substance doing the adsorbing (a liquid or solid) - it does not enter inside.
> 
> “Absorb” is a much more common term - “adsorb” is technical term mostly limited to scientific contexts. \*\*

Thank you very much, Colibri. That was an excellent simple to understand explanation. I get it now. 😃 😉