Solid–Vapor Sorption of Xylenes: Prioritized Selectivity as a Means of Separating All Three Isomers Using a Single Substrate

A Werner complex is highly selective for o-xylene in a vapor mixture containing all three isomers. However, in the absence of o-xylene, the substrate shows similar selectivity for m-xylene over p-xylene. Kinetic studies show a different trend whereby m-xylene is absorbed most rapidly, implying that thermodynamic factors must be responsible for the selectivity.