Colloidal System
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Colloidal System
An intimate mixture of two substances one of which, called the
dispersed phase (or colloid ) is uniformly distributed in a
finely divided state through the second substance, called the dispersion
medium (or dispersing medium ). The dispersion medium may be a gas,
a liquid, or a solid, and the dispersed phase may also be any of these, with
the exception that one does not speak of a colloidal system of one gas in
another. Also called colloidal dispersion, colloidal suspension.
A system of liquid or solid particles colloidally dispersed in a gas is
called an aerosol. A system of solid substance or water-insoluble
liquid colloidally dispersed in liquid water is called a hydrosol.
There is no sharp line of demarcation between true solutions and colloidal
system on the one hand, or between mere suspensions and colloidal systems on
the other. When the particles of the dispersed phase are smaller than about 1
millimicron in diameter, the system begins to assume the properties of a true
solution; when the particles dispersed are much greater than 1 micron,
separation of the dispersed phase from the dispersing medium becomes so rapid
that the system is best regarded as a suspension.
References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
