Adsorption
isotherms of benzene, cyclohexane, and hexane were determined
from the gas phase on microporous activated carbons with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
areas between 816 and 996 m2 g–1. The
Dubinin–Radushkevich equation was used to calculate the parameters
of characteristic energy Eo and micropore
volume Wo. Also, immersion enthalpies
of activated carbons in solvents were obtained (benzene: −95.0
to −145.1 J g–1; cyclohexane: −21.2
to −91.7 J g–1; and hexane: −16.4
to −66.1 J g–1), and they were used to calculate
the product EoWo with the Stoeckli and Kraehenbuehl equations. Subsequently, values
of EoWo from
the two techniques (between 512 and 2223 J cm3 mol–1 g–1 for the adsorption isotherms;
between 1204 and 12008 J cm3 mol–1 g–1 for immersion enthalpies) were correlated with some
characteristics of the adsorbate such as molecular size, the molar
volume, and the dielectric constant. It was found that modifying the
activated carbon affected the adsorption process, being favored by
temperature changes and restricted by oxidation processes. The adsorbate,
which showed the highest values for EoWo, was benzene, because it had a smaller
molecular size and a higher dielectric constant.