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Glite Dictionary
adsorbate

adsorbate

9.9
A substance that sticks to the surface of another material
  • noun
  • /ˈæd.zɔːr.beɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : adsorbato
  • The scientist studied how different adsorbates affect the surface properties of the catalyst.

Examples

  • The actual transmission of this material under laser irradiation can be several percent higher than that in the spectrophotometer because of laser cleaning of surface adsorbates.

    Academic text (2001)

  • It must be recognized that diffusion cannot have a sustained effect unless the adsorbate is consumed (either by reaction or by incorporation into the deposit).

    Academic text (1998)

  • Current role of adsorbates in growth.

    Academic text (1993)

  • There would be no reason for the surface concentration of adsorbate to vary along the profile unless it were influenced by the diffusive transport of the inhibitor A.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Researchers examined various types of adsorbates to improve the efficiency of the filtration system.

  • In their experiments, they found that the rate of reaction increased with the presence of certain adsorbates.

How Absorbed

saturated
2 3.4
sorbed
  • Specialized
9.9
adsorbate
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

adsorbate singular
adsorbates plural

Morphology

adsorbate = adsorb (semi-transparent) = adsorb + ate

Formed by the regular suffixation of the technical verb 'adsorb' with '-ate' to name the material that has been adsorbed; predictable morphologically but relies on a specialized verb that many learners may not know.

Etymology

The word adsorbate comes from ad- 'to' plus sorb- 'to suck in', a root that you also see in the common word absorb. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a substance like dust that 'sticks' to the surface of something rather than going inside, so an adsorbate is a material 'stuck' on a surface.