Gas-phase desorption

Adsorption from the gas-phase Desorption to the gas-phase Dissociation of molecules at the surface Reactions between adsorbed molecules Reactions between gas and adsorbed molecules. 

The large number of ionization methods, some of which are highly specialized, precludes complete coverage. The most common ones in the three general areas of gas-phase, desorption, and evaporative ionization are described below. 

Different expressions relating the reaction probability 7 to other parameters of the system have been proposed in the case of liquid particles (see e.g., Schwartz, 1986 Hanson and Ravishankara, 1994 Hu et al, 1995 Hanson, 1997a, b Seinfeld and Pandis, 1998). Adopting the scheme shown in Figure 2.4 to account for the transfer of molecules from the gas phase to the surface (adsorption with a corresponding transfer coefficient noted ka(js), from the surface to the gas phase (desorption noted kdes), from the surface into the bulk of the particle (solvation noted ksoi), and from the bulk to the surface (kgs), Hanson (1997b) has... 

Hydrogen chemisorption on fidlerenes has been investigated by several authors. Brosha et al. report an irreversible storage capacity of 2.6 wt%, which corresponds to a stoichiometric formula of C6oHig,7, at 673 K and 103 bar H2. While the samples can be directly hydrogenated through exposure to the gas phase, desorption is irreversible and accompanied by coUapse of the fijllerene structure to graphite-like species [44]. 

In solvent recovery plants, temperature-swing processes are most frequently used. The loaded adsorbent is direct heated by steam or hot inert gas, which at the same time serves as a transport medium to discharge the desorbed vapor and reduce the partial pressure of the gas-phase desorpt. As complete desorption of the adsorpt cannot be accomplished in a reasonable time in commercial-scale systems, there is always heel remaining which reduces the adsorbent working capacity. 

While we have no accurate data for the molecular weights of the carboxylate-alumoxanes, based upon the gas phase desorption measurements and the SEI micrographs, we can propose that the particle size of the alumoxanes is significantly smaller than the parent boehmite. Furthermore, the alumoxane particles are rod or sheet-like in shape, not linear polymers. This is due to the destruction of hydrogenbonding within the mineral as hydroxide groups are removed and replaced with acid functionalities, as shown in Scheme 1. 

Catalytic gas-phase reactions play an important role in many bulk chemical processes, such as in the production of methanol, ammonia, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid. In most processes, the effective area of the catalyst is critically important. Since these reactions take place at surfaces through processes of adsorption and desorption, any alteration of surface area naturally causes a change in the rate of reaction. Industrial catalysts are usually supported on porous materials, since this results in a much larger active area per unit of reactor volume. 

Mention was made in Section XVIII-2E of programmed desorption this technique gives specific information about both the adsorption and the desorption of specific molecular states, at least when applied to single-crystal surfaces. The kinetic theory involved is essentially that used in Section XVI-3A. It will be recalled that the adsorption rate was there taken to be simply the rate at which molecules from the gas phase would strike a site area times the fraction of unoccupied sites. If the adsorption is activated, the fraction of molecules hitting and sticking that can proceed to a chemisorbed state is given by exp(-E /RT). The adsorption rate constant of Eq. XVII-13 becomes... 

As with the other surface reactions discussed above, the steps m a catalytic reaction (neglecting diffiision) are as follows the adsorption of reactant molecules or atoms to fomi bound surface species, the reaction of these surface species with gas phase species or other surface species and subsequent product desorption. The global reaction rate is governed by the slowest of these elementary steps, called the rate-detemiming or rate-limiting step. In many cases, it has been found that either the adsorption or desorption steps are rate detemiining. It is not surprising, then, that the surface stmcture of the catalyst, which is a variable that can influence adsorption and desorption rates, can sometimes affect the overall conversion and selectivity. 

The first step consists of the molecular adsorption of CO. The second step is the dissociation of O2 to yield two adsorbed oxygen atoms. The third step is the reaction of an adsorbed CO molecule with an adsorbed oxygen atom to fonn a CO2 molecule that, at room temperature and higher, desorbs upon fomiation. To simplify matters, this desorption step is not included. This sequence of steps depicts a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, whereby reaction occurs between two adsorbed species (as opposed to an Eley-Rideal mechanism, whereby reaction occurs between one adsorbed species and one gas phase species). The role of surface science studies in fomuilating the CO oxidation mechanism was prominent. 

The impact of the fast atoms on the solution surface results in desorption of secondaries (positive ions, negative ions, and neutrals) into the low-pressure gas-phase region above the matrix surface. 

Field desorption. The formation of ions in the gas phase from a material deposited on a solid surface (known as an emitter) that is placed in a high electrical field. Field desorption is an ambiguous term because it implies that the electric field desorbs a material as an ion from some kind of emitter on which the material is deposited. There is growing evidence that some of the ions formed are due to thermal ionization and some to field ionization of material... 

However, ia some cases, the answer is not clear. A variety of factors need to be taken iato consideration before a clear choice emerges. Eor example, UOP s Molex and IsoSiv processes are used to separate normal paraffins from non-normals and aromatics ia feedstocks containing C —C2Q hydrocarbons, and both processes use molecular sieve adsorbents. However, Molex operates ia simulated moving-bed mode ia Hquid phase, and IsoSiv operates ia gas phase, with temperature swiag desorption by a displacement fluid. The foUowiag comparison of UOP s Molex and IsoSiv processes iadicates some of the primary factors that are often used ia decision making ... 

M ass Transfer. Mass transfer in a fluidized bed can occur in several ways. Bed-to-surface mass transfer is important in plating appHcations. Transfer from the soHd surface to the gas phase is important in drying, sublimation, and desorption processes. Mass transfer can be the limiting step in a chemical reaction system. In most instances, gas from bubbles, gas voids, or the conveying gas reacts with a soHd reactant or catalyst. In catalytic systems, the surface area of a catalyst can be enormous. Eor Group A particles, surface areas of 5 to over 1000 m /g are possible. 

U.S. EPA, Eco Eogic International Gas-Phase Chemical Reduction Process, The Thermal Desorption Enit Applications Analysis Report, EPA/540/AR-94/504, Washington, D.C., 1994. 

Kinetic theories of adsorption, desorption, surface diffusion, and surface reactions can be grouped into three categories. (/) At the macroscopic level one proceeds to write down kinetic equations for macroscopic variables, in particular rate equations for the (local) coverage or for partial coverages. This can be done in a heuristic manner, much akin to procedures in gas-phase kinetics or, in a rigorous approach, using the framework of nonequihbrium thermodynamics. Such an approach can be used as long as... 

To derive an explicit expression of the rate of desorption we restrict ourselves to nondissociative adsorption, listing references to other systems— such as multicomponent and multilayer adsorbates with and without precursors—for which such a treatment has been given, later. We look at a situation where the gas phase pressure of a molecular species, P, is different from its value, P, which maintains an adsorbate at coverage 6. There is then an excess flux to re-establish equilibrium between gas phase and adsorbate so that we can write [7-10]... 

Here Zint is the intramolecular partition function accounting for rotations and vibrations. However, in equilibrium, the chemical potential in the gas phase is equal to that in the adsorbate, fi, so that we can write the desorption rate in (I) as... 

For dissociative adsorption, i.e., for systems in which the gas phase is predominantly molecules which dissociate into fragments A and B on the surface (not necessarily atoms), the desorption rate is given by... 

To specify these transition probabilities we make the further assumption that the residence time of a particle in a given adsorption site is much longer than the time of an individual transition to or from that state, either in exchange with the gas phase in adsorption and desorption or for hopping across the surface in diffusion. In such situtations there will be only one individual transition at any instant of time and the transition probabilities can be summed, one at a time, over all possible processes (adsorption, desorption, diffusion) and over all adsorption sites on the surface. To implement this we first write... 

Langmuir (1916), whp put forward the fir quantitative theory of the adsorption of a gaS, assumed that a gas molecule condensing from the gas phase-would adhere to the surface fora short time before evaporating and that the condensed layer was only one atom or molecule thick. If 0 is the fraction of the surface area covered by adsorbed molecules at any time, the rate of desorption is proportional to 0 and equal to k 0 where is a constant at constant temperature. Similarly the rate of adsorption will be proportional to the area of bare surface and to the rate at which the molecules strike the surface (proportional to the gas pressurep). At equilibrium the rate of desorption equals the rate of adsorption... 

Current use of statistical thermodynamics implies that the adsorption system can be effectively separated into the gas phase and the adsorbed phase, which means that the partition function of motions normal to the surface can be represented with sufficient accuracy by that of oscillators confined to the surface. This becomes less valid, the shorter is the mean adsorption time of adatoms, i.e. the higher is the desorption temperature. Thus, near the end of the desorption experiment, especially with high heating rates, another treatment of equilibria should be used, dealing with the whole system as a single phase, the adsorbent being a boundary. This is the approach of the gas-surface virial expansion of adsorption isotherms (51, 53) or of some more general treatment of this kind. 

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