activated carbon

Activated carbon, also known as active carbon or activated charcoal, is a highly porous form of graphitic carbon. It is created by heating carbon-rich materials with limited air, resulting in a substance with a large surface area, often between 300 to 2,000 square meters per gram.1

This extensive surface area makes activated carbon an excellent adsorbent, meaning it can attract and hold molecules from gases or liquids. This property is utilized in various purification processes, including cleaning drinking water and sugar, recovering solvents, and in gas masks to remove toxic substances from the air. It can also function as a catalyst in certain chemical reactions.1