Heh. I'm ashamed to admit I learned "adsorb" in eighth grade, in the throes of a horrific (but very well done) science fair project involving dissolving rocks with acetic acid (vinegar).

But yeah, it generally still makes me pause and think about it for a minute.

Fucking online dictionary.

'adsorbent' - capable of adsorption.

Bastards. Probably adsorbent bastards, too.

Jan, try Merriam-Webster's definition. Much more informative.

Alos, the words are spelled adsorbent and absorbent.

I mean: also.

FUCK!

I adsorb antibodies onto polystyrene plates.

I always figured adsorb was to get something to stick to something else while absorb was to soak up something.

I'm not going to condensate about this.

It's just chemistry geekery leaking out of it's box again. I advise you to pay it no mind. In the unlikely event that your inner nerd finds this unsatisfying, however, I bust out in askme sprinkles: Adsorpition means forming a thin coating (like oil on metal), while absorption means permeation into a bulk (like water soaking into a sponge). A subtle difference to be sure, but one which matters greatly for paper towels and other cleaning products.

I vividly remember in 10th grade chemistry having the same reaction to seeing the word for the first time. "WTF?! They spelled it wrong!"