ABSTRACT
Adsorption plays a key role in catalysis, filtration, oxidation, corrosion, and chromatographic separations. And, elementary binding processes are at the root of most biological mechanisms of action, and underpin the modern pharmacological approach to treating diseases. Atoms or molecules that bind to surfaces are called adsorbates or ligands. Increasing the concentration of an adsorbate will ultimately saturate a surface, filling all the available space. The simplest model of binding and saturation is the Langmuir model. The Langmuir model describes the balance between the energetic tendency of the particles to stick to the surfaces and the entropic tendency of the particles to gain translational freedom by escaping from them. The Langmuir model treats binding and saturation when binding sites are independent. It accounts for gases sticking to metals, pH titration, rates of catalysis, and the saturable rates of transport through cell membranes.
