Isotope Effect in Monolayer, Localised, Immobilised Adsorption with Special Reference to Neon Adsorption on Porous Glass at Cryogenic Temperatures

摘要

Using statistical mechanics, a general formula for the separation factor of two isotopes between gas and adsorbate phases in a monolayer, localised, immobile adsorption on a heterogeneous surface, is derived. Special forms of this are discussed for which the familiar Bigeleisen form is one. Purer, Kalplan and Smith, in their work on neon isotopes separation by gas chromatography through porous glass column at cryogenic temperatures, have reported that the separation factor first increased and then decreased as the temperature was decreased, whereas monotonic increase was the normally expected behaviour. Moiseyev has attempted to explain the anomaly after assuming two types of adsorption sites. The present theory gives the conditions in which monotonic and nonmonotonic variations can occur and after making some assumptions, the experimental curve of Purer et al could be reproduced computationally using one form of the general expression. This theoretical treatment highlights the importance of both potential energy and force constant in isotope effect whereas it is only the potential energy that is much involved in most adsorption studies. (Atomindex citation 12:634263)