Surface adsorption sites, effect

Before entering the detailed discussion of physical and chemical adsorption in the next two chapters, it is worthwhile to consider briefly and in relatively general terms what type of information can be obtained about the chemical and structural state of the solid-adsorbate complex. The term complex is used to avoid the common practice of discussing adsorption as though it occurred on an inert surface. Three types of effects are actually involved (1) the effect of the adsorbent on the molecular structure of the adsorbate, (2) the effect of the adsorbate on the structure of the adsorbent, and (3) the character of the direct bond or local interaction between an adsorption site and the adsorbate. 

Displacement development is only really effective if the stationary phase is a solid and the solutes are adsorbed on its surface. The sample mixture is placed on the front of the distribution system, and the individual solutes compete for the immediately available adsorption sites. Initially, all the nearby adsorbent sites will be saturated with the most strongly held component. As the sample band moves through the system the next available adsorption sites will become saturated with the next most... 

Ensemble or Third-Body Ejfects. These effects concern the selective blockage of a particular adsorption site by adatom deposition. This can be advantageous when the reaction mechanism contains parallel paths that can be affected differently by blocking particular sites. In some cases, the undesired reaction needs more than one free adjacent site (ensemble), and can be inhibited by blocking particular sites without decreasing the reactivity of the surface for the catalyzed reaction. 

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