Sorption is a phenomena physical and chemical process by which one substance becomes attached to another. Specific cases of sorption are treated in the following articles:
- Absorption - the incorporation of a substance in one state into another of a different state (e.g., liquids being absorbed by a solid or gases being absorbed by a liquid);
- Adsorption - the physical adherence or bonding of ions and molecules onto the surface of another phase (e.g., reagents adsorbed to a solid catalyst surface);
- Ion exchange - an exchange of ions between two electrolytes or between an electrolyte solution and a complex.