kaasasolevat

Kaasasolevat is a Finnish term describing gas solvates, i.e., inclusion compounds in which gaseous molecules are physically trapped inside a host structure without chemical reaction. The gas guest resides in cavities within a lattice or framework and is stabilized by van der Waals forces or hydrogen bonding. This concept includes clathrate hydrates—gas molecules encaged in water-based cages—as well as gas solvates formed in porous solids such as zeolites and metal–organic frameworks. Formation typically requires specific pressure and temperature conditions; clathrate formation favors elevated pressure and low temperature, while some solvates can form at ambient conditions within selective hosts.

Notable examples include methane clathrate hydrates in ocean sediments and permafrost, which store large amounts of natural gas, and CO2 hydrates studied for carbon capture and storage. Gas solvates involving noble gases, such as xenon or krypton, have been observed in certain host materials, and organic-host gas solvates are investigated in crystalline inclusion compounds. The broader area is sometimes referred to as inclusion chemistry or clathrate science.

In research and application, kaasasolevat are explored for gas storage and transport, separations of gas mixtures, and climate-related technologies such as CO2 sequestration. The stability of these compounds depends on pressure, temperature, and the nature of the host framework; destabilization can release the trapped gas, which in the case of methane hydrates raises environmental and energy-resource considerations. The term reflects a wider class of materials where gas molecules are hosted within a solid or porous matrix, enabling various practical and theoretical investigations.