Colloidal Dispersions

Lecture-1
Dr. Mohammed Obies

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Outline
üIntroduction.
üClassification of dispersed systems.
• Types of colloidal systems.
• Kinetic properties of colloids.

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Introduction
• Substances can be mixed together to form a variety of pharmaceutical
mixtures or pharmaceutical dispersions.
• A disperse system is defined as a heterogeneous two-phase system in
which the disperse phase (solute) is distributed as particles or
droplets throughout another phase called as dispersion medium
(solvent).

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Classification of dispersed systems
• There are three types of pharmaceutical dispersions which are
classified according to the size of the dispersed phase and not its
composition into:
1. True solutions or molecular dispersion: the dispersed phase
completely dissolves, cannot scatter light, and cannot be visualized
using microscope.
2. Colloidal dispersions: the dispersed phase is in the size range of 1
to 500 nm.
3. Coarse dispersions (pharmaceutical suspension): the particle size is
greater than 500 nm.
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Classification of dispersed systems
1. True solutions or molecular dispersion:
• Particles invisible in electron microscope.
• Pass through semipermeable membranes and ultrafilter papers.
• Particles do not settle down on standing.
• Undergo rapid diffusion.
• Example: Oxygen molecules, ordinary ions, glucose.

True solution Colloidal dispersion Coarse dispersion 5

(molecular dispersion)
Classification of dispersed systems
2. Colloidal dispersions:
• Particles not resolved by ordinary microscope, can be detected by electron
microscope.
• Pass through filter papers but not pass through semipermeable membrane.
• Particles made to settle by centrifugation.
• Diffuse very slowly.
• Example: Colloidal silver sols, natural and synthetic polymers.

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True solution Colloidal dispersion Coarse dispersion
(molecular dispersion)
Classification of dispersed systems
3. Coarse dispersions (pharmaceutical suspension):
• Particles are visible under ordinary microscope.
• Do not pass through filter papers or semipermeable membrane.
• Particles settle down under gravity.
• Do not diffuse.
• Example: Most pharmaceutical suspensions, red blood cells

True solution Colloidal dispersion Coarse dispersion

(molecular dispersion) 7
Complex dispersed system
• Blood is a specialized fluid that delivers vital substances such as
oxygen and nutrients to various cells and tissues in the body.
• The dispersion medium in blood is plasma, which is mostly water
(~90% or so).
• Blood is composed of more than one dispersed phase.
• Nutrients such as peptides, proteins, and glucose are dissolved in
plasma forming a molecular dispersion or true solution.
• Oxygen is carried to cells and tissues by red blood cells, the size of red
blood cells (~6 µm in diameter and 2 µm in width) they would be
considered to form a coarse dispersion in blood.
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Complex dispersed system
• The last major component of blood is serum albumin. Serum albumin
forms a true solution in water. However, the size of the individual
serum albumin particles in solution is >1 nm, which puts them into
the colloidal dispersion group.
• In summary: blood is a complex bodily fluid that is an example of the
three types of dispersed systems that you will encounter in the
pharmaceutical sciences.

• In this lecture we will discuss the Colloidal Dispersions.

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Colloidal Dispersions
• Colloidal system or colloidal dispersion is a heterogeneous system
which is made up of Dispersed phase and Dispersion medium
(Continuous phase).

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Size of Colloidal Particles
• Particles in the colloidal size range possess a surface area that is enormous
compared with the surface area of an equal volume of larger particles.
• Thus, a cube having a 1-cm edge and a volume of 1 cm3 has a total surface area of
6 cm2. If the same cube is subdivided into smaller cubes each having an edge of
100 μm (0.01 cm), the total volume remains the same, but the total surface area
increases to 600,000 cm2. This represents a 105-fold increase in surface area.
• specific surface area is defined as the surface area per unit weight or volume of
material. In the example just given, the first sample had a specific surface of 6
cm2/cm3, whereas the second sample had a specific surface of 600,000 cm2/cm3.

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Size of Colloidal Particles
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 4 𝑐𝑚 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒 = 4, 𝑐𝑚, = 64 𝑐𝑚,
1 cm
𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 4 𝑐𝑚 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒 = 6 (4)3 𝑐𝑚3
1 cm 1 cm = 6(4)3 𝑐𝑚3 = 96 𝑐𝑚3

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 1 𝑐𝑚 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒 = 1, 𝑐𝑚, = 1 𝑐𝑚,

4 cm
𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 1 𝑐𝑚 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒 = 6 (𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒)3 𝑐𝑚3
= 6(1)3 𝑐𝑚3 = 6𝑐𝑚3

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 4 𝑐𝑚 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 1 𝑐𝑚 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒 =
4 cm 4 cm 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 1 𝑐𝑚 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑒
9:
= ;
= 64

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 = 64 𝑥 6 = 384 𝑐𝑚3

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Size of Colloidal Particles
• The possession of a large specific surface results in many of the
unique properties of colloidal dispersions.
• For example, platinum is effective as a catalyst only when in the
colloidal form as platinum black. This is because catalysts act by
adsorbing the reactants onto their surface. Hence, their catalytic
activity is related to their specific surface.

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Size of Colloidal Particles
• The color of colloidal dispersions is related to the size of the particles
present. Thus, as the particles in a red gold sol increase in size, the
dispersion takes on a blue color. Antimony and arsenic trisulfides
change from red to yellow as the particle size is reduced from that of
a coarse powder to that within the colloidal size range.

Gold solution
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Size of Colloidal Particles
• Because of their size, colloidal particles can be separated from
molecular particles with relative ease. The technique of separation,
known as dialysis, uses a semipermeable membrane of collodion or
cellophane, the pore size of which will prevent the passage of
colloidal particles, yet permit small molecules and ions, such as urea,
glucose, and sodium chloride, to pass through.

Sketch showing the removal of electrolytes from

colloidal material by diffusion through a
semipermeable membrane. Conditions on the
two sides, A and B, of the membrane are shown
at the start and at equilibrium. The open circles
are the colloidal particles that are too large to
pass through the membrane. The solid dots are
the electrolyte particles that pass through the
pores of the membrane. 15
Size of Colloidal Particles
• At equilibrium, the colloidal material is retained in compartment A,
whereas the subcolloidal material is distributed equally on both sides
of the membrane. By continually removing the liquid in compartment
B, it is possible to obtain colloidal material in A that is free from
subcolloidal contaminants.

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Size of Colloidal Particles
• The principle of dialysis is utilized in the artificial kidney, which
removes low–molecular-weight impurities from the body by passage
through a semipermeable membrane.

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Shape of Colloidal Particles
• The shape adopted by colloidal particles in dispersion is important
because the more extended the particle, the greater is specific
surface and the greater is the opportunity for attractive forces to
develop between the particles of the dispersed phase and the
dispersion medium.
• A colloidal particle is something like a hedgehog—in a friendly
environment, it unrolls and exposes maximum surface area. Under
adverse conditions, it rolls up and reduces its exposed area.
• Colloidal properties such as sedimentation, and osmotic pressure are
affected by changes in the shape of colloidal particles.

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 Shape of Colloidal Particles
Some shapes that can be assumed by colloidal particles:
(a)Spheres and globules
(b)Short rods and prolate ellipsoids
(c)Oblate ellipsoids and flakes
(d)Long rods and threads
(e)Loosely coiled threads
(f) Branched threads

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Thank You!

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