Lesson plan
Specific surface area
Specific surface area (SSA) is a property of solids defined as the total surface area (SA) of a material per unit mass, (with units of m 2 /kg or m 2 /g). Alternatively, it may be defined as SA per solid or bulk volume (units of m 2 /m 3 or m −1 ). It is a physical value that can be used to determine the type and properties of a material (e.g. soil or snow). It has a particular importance for adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis, and reactions on surfaces.
Article summary
Specific surface area (SSA) is a property of solids defined as the total surface area (SA) of a material per unit mass, (with units of m 2 /kg or m 2 /g). Alternatively, it may be defined as SA per solid or bulk volume (units of m 2 /m 3 or m −1 ). It is a physical value that can be used to determine the type and properties of a material (e.g. soil or snow). It has a particular importance for adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis, and reactions on surfaces.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.