In chemistry, absorption is a physical or chemical phenomenon or a process in

which atoms, molecules or ions enter some bulk phase – liquid or solid material. This is a different

process from adsorption, since molecules undergoing absorption are taken up by the volume, not by
the surface (as in the case for adsorption). A more general term is sorption, which covers
absorption, adsorption, and ion exchange. Absorption is a condition in which something takes in
another substance.[1]
In many processes important in technology, the chemical absorption is used in place of the physical
process, e.g., absorption of carbon dioxide by sodium hydroxide – such acid-base processes do not
follow the Nernst partition law.
For some examples of this effect, see liquid-liquid extraction. It is possible to extract a solute from
one liquid phase to another without a chemical reaction. Examples of such solutes are noble
gases and osmium tetroxide.[1]
The process of absorption means that a substance captures and transforms energy. The absorbent
distributes the material it captures throughout whole and adsorbent only distributes it through the
surface.
The process of gas or liquid which penetrate into the body of adsorbent is commonly known as
absorption.

Types of absorption
Absorption is a process that may be chemical (reactive) or physical (non-reactive).

Chemical absorption
Chemical absorption or reactive absorption is a chemical reaction between the absorbed and the
absorbing substances. Sometimes it combines with physical absorption. This type of absorption
depends upon the stoichiometry of the reaction and the concentration of its reactants. They may be
carried out in different units, with a wide spectrum of phase flow types and interactions. In most
cases, RA is carried out in plate or packed columns.[2]

Physical absorption
Water in a solid
Hydrophilic solids, which includes many solids of biological origin, can readily absorb
water. Polar interactions between water and the molecules of the solid favour partition of the water
into the solid, which can allow significant absorption of water vapour even in relatively low humidity.
Moisture regain
A plant fibre (or other hydrophilic material) that has been exposed to the atmosphere will usually
contain some water even if it feels dry. The water can be driven off by heating in an oven, leading to
a measurable decrease in weight, which will gradually be regained if the fibre is returned to a
'normal' atmosphere. This effect is crucial in the textile industry – where the proportion of a material's
weight made up by water is called the moisture regain.[3]