Adsorption Memes

Finally, a chemistry explanation that actually sticks! On the left, ABsorption: guy literally absorbing (drinking) the substance. On the right, ADsorption: guy getting substances violently thrown AT him. Who needs complex molecular diagrams when you can just remember "in" versus "at"? Chemistry professors hate this one weird trick for remembering the difference. Next up: explaining acid-base reactions with people throwing lemons at each other.

Nothing kills the mood faster than a chemistry terminology error! While your partner's thinking about physical attraction, you're having a mental breakdown over someone confusing absorption (taking something INTO a material) with adsorption (molecules sticking ON THE SURFACE of a material). That single letter 'd' makes all the difference between a night of passion and a night of passionate peer review comments. Chemistry nerds have priorities, and apparently, proper surface chemistry vocabulary ranks higher than romance.