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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Some intriguing items in the history of adsorption

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Abstract Clay was already used in antiquity as a drying and bleaching agent, a carrier for paints, and for various medical purposes. Sand was applied for water desalination. Charcoal was recommended as an antidote Based on Lowitz' discovery of the decolorizing effect in 1785, charcoal was used for the purification first of sugar. The patents of Ostrejko in 1900 opened the way for its industrial application. Already in the Bible we find the description of an adsorption experiment. The systematic research began 1773 when Scheele observed the adsorption of air by charcoal using a volumetric apparatus. The first adsorption measuring instruments were hygrometers as described by Nicholas of Cues 1450, Alberti and Leonardo da Vinci: balances loaded with textile fibers. 1833 Talabot installed conditioning apparatus to proof raw silk imported from China. Starting with Emich 1912, electronic microbalances were developed as sensitive instruments to investigate adsorption. On the other hand disturbances from adsorbed layers impeded metrological weighings. At the end of the 19th century Mitscherlich, Chappuis and Kayser measured isotherms. The volumetric method was the most successful one and the apparatus of Brunauer, Emmett and Teller set the prototype for many instruments devoted to measure surface area and porosity [1, 2].