15.3. Colloids and Suspensions http://www.ck12.org
15.3 Colloids and Suspensions
Lesson Objectives
- Explain how a mixture can be formed from a dispersed phase and a continuous phase and give examples of
such mixtures. - Describe the characteristics and properties of mixtures like foams, aerosols, smoke, suspensions, and sols.
- Describe the relationship between particle sizes in the dispersed phase and the types of mixtures that are
produced. - Describe the different phases that a dispersed medium exhibits.
- Describe the different phases that a continuous medium exhibits.
- Describe the different combinations of dispersed phases and continuous phases, and the resulting mixtures
that can be formed from such combinations. - Describe the Tyndall effect, and give examples of this effect in suspensions and colloids.
Lesson Vocabulary
- dispersed phase: A substance that is the solute in a colloidal stage.
- continuous phase: Also referred to as the dispersion medium, is a solvent in a colloidal stage.
- colloid: A homogeneous mixture in which very small particles are distributed evenly throughout another
substance; these particles do not settle out of solution. - suspension: A heterogeneous mixture in which solute-like particles separate from the solvent-like particles
after being mixed together. - Tyndall effect: The phenomenon in which light is scattered by very small particles in its path.
Check Your Understanding
- Classify the following items as a homogeneous mixture, a heterogeneous mixture, or neither:
a. a glass of salt water
b. oil and vinegar
c. tomato sauce
d. milk
e. smoke from a fire
f. fog- In the following figure, which substance would be the solute, and which would be the solvent?