Adhesion refers to the attractive forces between two or more chemically dissimilar molecules or surfaces of different materials (e.g., glass vs. water, clay vs. sand). Thus, wet-clay and dry-clay particles tend to adhere to different surfaces.
Cf., cohesion

A micelle structure adsorbed to a surface.
See micelle.

Durable, sun-dried, hardened bricks made from mixtures of water, clay, silt, sand and straw, or other fibrous organic materials

Any substance which, in molecular, atomic, or ionic form, will penetrate into and be retained by another (liquid, solid, gel, etc.) material.
Cf., Solid-state diffusion, adsorbent

H₂O molecules attracted to and adhered to by atomic forces at internal or external surfaces of a phyllosilicate or other material in thicknesses of one or more molecules. The term “water” (rather than “H₂O”) is not precisely used here because “water” is a (liquid) phase.

The process of attraction and adherence of atoms, ions, or molecules from a (gas, liquid, etc.) solution to a surface.

For graphs in which the concentration of adsorbate per unit adsorbent is on the y axis and pH is on the x axis (adsorption vs pH plot), an adsorption edge (sharp increase in adsorption at a specific pH) for an oxide or phyllosilicate surface occurs when the plotted curve shows an “S-shape”. An adsorption edge is commonly encountered for many cations adsorbed from a fluid onto the surface of a mineral or other solid substance (e.g., biological matter, glass).
Cf., adsorption envelope

For graphs in which the concentration of adsorbate per unit adsorbent is on the y axis and pH is on the x axis (adsorption vs pH plot), an adsorption envelope occurs if adsorbed concentration decreases with pH, which is commonly encountered for many anions adsorbed from a fluid on an oxide or phyllosilicate surface.
Cf., adsorption edge

A plot of the amount of a substance adsorbed per unit surface area (or in less rigorous terminology as per unit mass) of a solid or liquid as a function of the equilibrium concentration of the adsorbate, at a specific temperature and pressure.

The adsorption of anions on basal OH surfaces of a phase where structural hydroxyl groups are replaced by other anions, or on particle edges where unsatisfied positive bonds occur; exchange of edge hydroxyls also may occur (modified from O’Bannon, 1984).