This ultimately saves businesses of all types both time and money. Read on for a simple explanation of the difference between solutions, suspensions and colloids — all of which can be accurately classified as mixtures!
Furthermore, mixtures can either be homogeneous or heterogenous. A homogeneous mixture is uniform in its composition, meaning that no matter how you divide it, it will always display the same properties. For example, air is homogeneous mixture of several separate gases N 2 , O 2 , H 2 O, and CO 2 ; any volume of air will always contain the same ratios of its component gases. All homogeneous mixtures can also be called solutions , composed of the solvent the component of the substance that exists in the greatest amount and one or more solutes those components that exist in smaller volumes.
And while water is the most evident solvent, other gases, liquids and even solids can be solvents, too. Sand, when viewed under a microscope, will display an uneven distribution of particles, meaning no one handful will contain the same ratio of individual parts. All homogeneous mixtures are solutions, but heterogenous mixtures can be split into two separate categories: suspensions and colloids.
A colloid is heterogeneous, and consists of more than 1 phase. A solution consists of a single phase whereby a solute is solvated by a solvent. The key point is that there is not a single phase but two phases which exist as a stable suspension. Technically, a colloid should have a mean particle size between 1 and nm.
What is the difference between a colloid and a solution? Chemistry Solutions Solutions. May 9, Suspensions are considered heterogeneous because the different substances in the mixture will not remain uniformly distributed if they are not actively being mixed. A colloid is a heterogeneous mixture in which the dispersed particles are intermediate in size between those of a solution and a suspension.
The particles are spread evenly throughout the dispersion medium, which can be a solid, liquid, or gas. Because the dispersed particles of a colloid are not as large as those of a suspension, they do not settle out upon standing. The table below summarizes the properties and distinctions between solutions, colloids, and suspensions.
Colloids are unlike solutions because their dispersed particles are much larger than those of a solution. The dispersed particles of a colloid cannot be separated by filtration, but they scatter light, a phenomenon called the Tyndall effect.
Colloids are often confused with true homogenous solutions because the individual dispersed particles of a colloid cannot be seen. When light is passed through a true solution, the dissolved particles are too small to deflect the light.
However, the dispersed particles of a colloid, being larger, do deflect light see figure below. The Tyndall effect is the scattering of visible light by colloidal particles. You have undoubtedly "seen" a light beam as it passes through fog, smoke, or a scattering of dust particles suspended in air. All three are examples of colloids. Suspensions may scatter light, but if the number of suspended particles is sufficiently large, the suspension may simply be opaque, and the light scattering will not occur.
Listed in the table below are examples of colloidal systems, most of which are very familiar. Some of these are shown below see figure below. The dispersed phase describes the particles, while the dispersion medium is the material in which the particles are distributed.
Butter and mayonnaise are examples of a class of colloids called emulsions. An emulsion is a colloidal dispersion of a liquid in either a liquid or a solid.
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