Glossary: Chemisorption

Adsorption due to the chemical as opposed to physical forces, such as hydrogen chemisorption on the surface of a catalytically active surface. Chemisorption is usually an irreversible process. The magnitude of chemisorption measured from a chemisorption isotherm is therefore proportional to the number of active sites (for example, a means of measuring the metal surface area in heterogeneous catalysts).