Adsorption Mechanism

The success of kinetic theories directed toward the measurements of surface areas depends upon their ability to predict the number of adsorbate molecules required to cover the solid with a single molecular layer. Equally important is the cross-sectional area of each molecule or the effective area covered by each adsorbed molecule on the surface. The surface area then, is the product of the number of molecules in a completed monolayer and the effective cross-sectional area of an adsorbate molecule. The number of molecules required for the completion of a monolayer will be considered in this chapter and aspects of the adsorbate cross-sectional area will be discussed in chapter 5.