A stable system of two phases, one of which is dispersed in the other in the form of very small droplets or particles
Very finely divided solid particles which will not settle out of a solution; intermediate between a true dissolved particle and a suspended solid which will settle out of solution The removal of colloidal particles usually requires coagulation to form larger particles which may be removed by sedimentation and/or filtration
A substance that remains suspended in a solution or fails to settle out of solution
A gelatinous substance-in-solution Beer is considered a colloid, as is gelatin Many reactions in beer involve the colloidal state, especially those affecting haze and head stability
a group of atoms of molecules that form a solid particle which is too small to settle out of solution under normal gravitational forces
a solid, liquid, or gaseous substance made up of very small, insoluble, nondiffusible particles (as single large molecules or masses of smaller molecules) that remain in suspension in a surrounding solid, liquid, or gaseous medium of different matter a state of matter consisting of such a substance dispersed in a surrounding medium All living matter contains colloidal material, and a colloid has only a negligible effect on the freezing point, boiling point, or vapor pressure of the surrounding medium [< Greek kolla, glue + -oid; coined by T Graham (1805-69), Scottish chemist]
A constituent element in the dispersion of microscopic particles bigger than a macromolecule
An intimate mixture of two substances one of which, called the dispersed phase (or colloid), is uniformly distributed in a finely divided state throughout 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. A system of liquid or solid particles colloidally dispersed in a gas is called an aerosol. A system of solid substances or water-insoluble liquids colloidally dispersed in liquid water is called a hydrosol
Small particles in the size range of 10-9 to 10-6 meters that are suspended in a solvent Naturally occurring colloids in groundwater arise from clay minerals
Colloidal particles are so small and light that they do not settle in water The movement of water molecules is enough to keep them in suspension It is important to remember that colloidal particles occur in a suspension, not a solution A simple way to tell the difference is to shine a beam of light through the liquid If you can see the beam it is a suspension