Question

A gas undergoes physical adsorption on a surface and follows the given Freundlich adsorption isotherm equation `x/m = kp^0.5`·

Adsorption of the gas increases with:

Options

• decrease in p and increase in T.

• increase in p and decrease in T.

• decrease in p and decrease in T.

• increase in p and increase in T.

Answer 1

Increase in p and decrease in T.

Explanation:

According to the Freundlich adsorption isotherm `x/m = kp^0.5` for physical adsorption, adsorption increases with an increase in pressure (p). Also, physical adsorption is exothermic and decreases with a rise in temperature; thus, adsorption increases when temperature decreases. Hence, adsorption increases with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature.