A novel analysis of equilibrium adsorption and desorption using transient tracing methods Original Research Article

A novel analysis of adsorption and desorption using transient tracing methods under equilibrium conditions is developed. The analysis performed provides (a) the exchange rate between the gas and surface phases at steady-state, (b) the intrinsic desorption rate as a function of time under equilibrium isotopic tracing conditions, free of readsorption effects, and (c) the intrinsic variation of the desorption rate constant as a function of surface coverage, free of induced heterogeneity effects. The influence of readsorption, during desorption studies, on the distribution of the adsorbed states on the surface, and, in turn, on the true desorption rate, has been probed. This important aspect of chemisorption cannot be neglected in order to evaluate the intrinsic energy distribution characteristics of a given chemisorption system.