When the area of the
interface between two phases is proportional to the mass of one of the phases (e.g. for a solid
adsorbent, for an
emulsion or for an
aerosol), the specific surface area (, or preferably ) is defined as the surface area divided by the mass of the relevant phase.
Sources: Green Book, 2
nd ed., p. 63 [
Terms] [
Book]
PAC, 1972,
31, 577. (
Manual of Symbols and Terminology for Physicochemical Quantities and Units, Appendix II: Definitions, Terminology and Symbols in Colloid and Surface Chemistry) on page 583 [
Terms] [
Paper]