Experiences with Silica Gel as Adsorbent

Abstract

This report discusses the use of silica gel as adsorbent for industrial hygiene purposes. Laboratory experiments reveal that a fine-pore silica gel can efficiently adsorb the solvent vapors from 20 to 100 liters of air. The stability of the adsorbent proved to be good, and quantitative desorption is possible with a polar solvent such as water, alcohol, or acetone. For a period of four years this method has been used for the determination of many solvents in workshop atmospheres, and our experiments fully confirm the preference of adsorption onto silica gel above absorption in a volatile liquid.