Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid , [ 1 ] while others extend the definition to include substances like aerosols and gels .
A colloidal crystal is an ordered array of colloidal particles and fine grained materials analogous to a standard crystal whose repeating subunits are atoms or molecules. [1] A natural example of this phenomenon can be found in the gem opal, where spheres of silica assume a close-packed locally periodic structure under moderate compression.
Examples include amongst others blood, pigmented ink, cell fluids, paint, antacids and mud. Artificial sols can be prepared by two main methods: dispersion and condensation. In the dispersion method, solid particles are reduced to colloidal dimensions through techniques such as ball milling and Bredig's arc method .
Main page; Contents; Current events; Random article; About Wikipedia; Contact us; Pages for logged out editors learn more
When heavy metals or radionuclides form their own pure colloids, the term "Eigencolloid" is used to designate pure phases, e.g., Tc(OH) 4, Th(OH) 4, U(OH) 4, Am(OH) 3. Colloids have been suspected for the long range transport of plutonium on the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. They have been the subject of detailed studies for many years.
Milk is an emulsified colloid of liquid butterfat globules of 0.1 to 10 micrometer dispersed within a water-based solution.. Interface and colloid science is an interdisciplinary intersection of branches of chemistry, physics, nanoscience and other fields dealing with colloids, heterogeneous systems consisting of a mechanical mixture of particles between 1 nm and 1000 nm dispersed in a ...
Colloids are formed by phase separation, though not all phase separations forms colloids - for example oil and water can form separated layers under gravity rather than remaining as microscopic droplets in suspension. A common form of spontaneous phase separation is termed spinodal decomposition; it is described by the Cahn–Hilliard equation.
In addition, a heterogeneous mixture may have a uniform (e.g. a colloid) or non-uniform (e.g. a pencil) composition. Several solid substances, such as salt and sugar , dissolve in water to form homogeneous mixtures or " solutions ", in which there are both a solute (dissolved substance) and a solvent (dissolving medium) present.