assorbimento

Assorbimento is the process by which a substance is taken into the interior of another material, rather than merely adhering to its surface. It is distinct from adsorption, which involves surface binding.

In optics and spectroscopy, assorbimento refers to the attenuation of light as it travels through a medium. Photons are removed by electronic, vibrational, or lattice processes, converting energy to heat. The effect is quantified by the absorption coefficient α(λ) and by the Beer–Lambert law: A = εlc, where A is absorbance, ε is molar absorptivity, l is path length, and c is concentration.

In chemistry and environmental science, assorbimento describes the uptake of a substance from one phase into another, such as gas into liquid or dissolved species into a solid. It is governed by solubility, diffusion, and sometimes reaction, and is central to processes like gas scrubbing and pollutant removal. Adsorption, in contrast, refers to surface attachment rather than bulk uptake.

In biology and medicine, assorbimento denotes the uptake of substances across membranes, for example intestinal absorption of nutrients or drugs, driven by diffusion, facilitated transport, or active transport, and influenced by surface area and membrane properties.

Notes: the term assorbimento is used in Italian for absorption; in Portuguese the equivalent is absorção. Across disciplines, models use rate equations, partition or solubility coefficients, and equilibrium constants to describe the extent and speed of uptake.