Interaction of Water and other Polar Substances with Hydrophilic Centres on the Surface of Hydrophobic Adsorbents

Abstract

The adsorption of water and other polar substances on to the surface of graphitized carbon black and macroporous silica modified by polymethylhydride silicone has been studied using gas chromatography. The adsorption heat values of the substances studied were determined and the concentration of surface hydrophilic centres estimated. Conclusions have been drawn concerning the number of water molecules adsorbed on to hydrophilic centres at low surface occupation values. In the case of water adsorption on the graphitized carbon black surface, the chromatographic data for the adsorption heat have been compared with the energy of water molecule interaction with the surface clusters modelling the micropores existing on the basal surface of carbon black particles as calculated using quantum chemical methods.