Adsorption refers to a self-acting, reversible change in concentration between two adjacent phases and is a type of sorption. The place of adsorption can be the interface between a solid substance and a liquid or a gas, the interface between two liquids or the interface between a gas and a liquid.
The adsorption depends on the concentration of the adsorbent, the surface of the adsorbent and the temperature.
A positive adsorption describes an accumulation at an interface, whereas a negative adsorption describes the displacement. This occurs when substances have a different affinity to an adsorbent and one substance can displace another.
Biochemical adsorption describes the activation of enzymes by surface-active substances that bind enzyme and substrate and thus bring them closer together.