Activated carbon is porous carbon that is produced artificially to have a great level of porosity and a high internal surface.These characteristics, along with the chemical nature of the carbon atoms that form it, gives it the ability to retain certain molecules of fluid that surrounds the carbon.
This ability is called adsorption. The solid is called adsorbent and the trapped molecule adsorbate. The union between the carbon and the adsorbate is possible due to London forces that are some kinds of forces from Vander Waals. These are relatively weak; and because of this; reversible.
Activated carbon is a covalent compound and thus shows preference for covalent molecules that tend to be non-ionic and slightly polaric. Such is the case of the majority of organic compounds. So, activated carbon is considered an almost universal adsorbent of organic molecules.
Because of this, one of the principal applications of activated carbon is the purifying of liquids and gases that have been contaminated by some organic molecule.
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