COLLOIDS

Colloids are mixtures whose particles are larger than the size of a molecule but smaller than
particles that can be seen with the naked eye. Colloids are one of three major types of mixtures,
the other two being solutions and suspensions. The three kinds of mixtures are distinguished by
the size of the particles that make them up. The particles in a solution are about the size of
molecules, approximately 1 nanometer (1 billionth of a meter) in diameter. Those that make up
suspensions are larger than 1,000 nanometers. Finally, colloidal particles range in size between 1
and 1,000 nanometers. Colloids are also called colloidal dispersions because the particles of
which they are made are dispersed, or spread out, through the mixture.

Types of colloids
Colloids are common in everyday life. Some examples include whipped cream, mayonnaise,
milk, butter, gelatin, jelly, muddy water, plaster, colored glass, and paper.

Every colloid consists of two parts: colloidal particles and the dispersing medium. The dispersing
medium is the substance in which the colloidal particles are distributed. In muddy water, for
example, the colloidal particles are tiny grains of sand, silt, and clay. The dispersing medium is
the water in which these particles are suspended.

Colloids can be made from almost any combination of gas, liquid, and solid. The particles of
which the colloid is made are called the dispersed material. Any colloid consisting of a solid
dispersed in a gas is called a smoke. A liquid dispersed in a gas is referred to as a fog.

Types of Colloids

Dispersed
Dispersed in Gas Dispersed in Liquid Dispersed in Solid
Material
Foams: soda pop; whipped Solid foams: plaster;
Gas (bubbles) Not possible
cream; beaten egg whites pumice
Liquid Fogs: mist; clouds; Emulsions: milk; blood;
butter; cheese
(droplets) hair sprays mayonnaise
Smokes: dust; Sols and gels: gelatin; muddy Solid sol: pearl; colored
Solid (grains)
industrial smoke water; starch solution glass; porcelain; paper
Properties of colloids
Each type of mixture has special properties by which it can be identified. For example, a
suspension always settles out after a certain period of time. That is, the particles that make up the
suspension separate from the medium in which they are suspended and fall to the bottom of a
container. In contrast, colloidal particles typically do not settle out. Like the particles in a
solution, they remain in suspension within the medium that contains them.

Colloids also exhibit Brownian movement. Brownian movement is the random zigzag motion of
particles that can be seen under a microscope. The motion is caused by the collision of molecules
with colloid particles in the dispersing medium. In addition, colloids display the Tyndall effect.
When a strong light is shone through a colloidal dispersion, the light beam becomes visible, like
a column of light. A common example of this effect can be seen when a spotlight is turned on
during a foggy night. You can see the spotlight beam because of the fuzzy trace it makes in the
fog (a colloid).

Light shining through a solution of sodium hydroxide (left) and a colloidal mixture. The size of
colloidal particles makes the mixture, which is neither a solution nor a suspension, appear
cloudy. (Reproduced by permission of
Photo Researchers, Inc.

Examples of colloids

These are just a few of the many examples of colloids, both man-made and naturally occurring.

Aerosols:

Man-made: Aerosol sprays, insecticide spray, smog. Natural: Fog, clouds.

Solid aerosol:

Natural: Smoke, dust.

Foam:

Man-made: Shaving lather, whipped cream.

Emulsions:

Man-made: Mayonnaise, cosmetic lotion, lubricants. Natural: Milk.

Sols:

Man-made: Paint, ink, detergents, rubber (a latex - also occur naturally).

Solid foams:
 Man-made: Marshmallow, styrofoam, insulation, cushioning.

Gels:

Man-made: Butter, jelly.

Solid sols:

Man-made: Certain alloys. Natural: Pearl, opal.