| Physical adsorption (Physisorption) | Chemical adsorption (Chemisorption) |
| $1$. It arises due to weak van der Waals forces. | $1$. It is caused by strong chemical bond formation. |
| $2$. It is not specific in nature. | $2$. It is highly specific in nature. |
| $3$. It is reversible in nature. | $3$. It is irreversible in nature. |
| $4$. It depends on the nature of gas; easily liquefiable gases are adsorbed readily. | $4$. It depends on the nature of gas; gases that react with the adsorbent show chemisorption. |
| $5$. Enthalpy of adsorption is low $(20-40 \ kJ \ mol^{-1})$. | $5$. Enthalpy of adsorption is high $(80-240 \ kJ \ mol^{-1})$. |
| $6$. Low temperature is favourable; it decreases with an increase in temperature. | $6$. High temperature is often favourable; it increases with an increase in temperature. |
| $7$. No appreciable activation energy is needed. | $7$. High activation energy is often required. |
| $8$. It depends on the surface area; it increases with an increase in surface area. | $8$. It also increases with an increase in surface area. |
| $9$. It results in multimolecular layers on the adsorbent surface. | $9$. It results in a unimolecular layer. |
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