Title: non-specific adsorption
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - non-specific adsorption
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.N04204
Status: current

Definition
Ions approach an interface differently depending on the forces in play. Ions are non-specifically adsorbed (positively or negatively) when they are subjected in the interphase only to long-range coulombic interactions (attraction or repulsion). They are believed to retain their solvation shell, and in the position of closest approach to the interface they are separated from it by one or more molecular layers.

Related Terms
- interface: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/I03082
- interphase: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/I03118
- solvation: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/S05747
- specific adsorption: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/S05791

Source
- PAC, 1986, 58, 437. 'Interphases in systems of conducting phases (Recommendations 1985)' on page 447 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac198658030437)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/N04204/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/N04204/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/N04204/xml

Citation: Citation: 'non-specific adsorption' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.N04204
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Accessed: 2026-07-23T05:39:26+00:00