APPLICATIONS OF
COLLOIDS
Most of the substances, we come across in our
daily life, are colloids. The meal we eat, the clothes we wear, the wooden
furniture we use, the houses we live in, the newspapers we read, are largely
composed of colloids.
The applications of colloid chemistry are
limitless. These can be divided mainly into two classes:
i.
Natural applications and
ii.
Technical applications
I. Natural applications
(i) Blue colour of the
sky : Colloidal particles scatter blue light. Dust particles along with water suspended
in air scatter blue light which reaches our eyes and the sky looks blue to us.
(ii) Fog, mist and
rain : When a large mass of air, containing dust particles, is cooled below its
dewpoint, the moisture from the air condenses on the surfaces of these
particles forming fine droplets. These droplets being colloidal in nature
continue to float in the air in the form of mist or fog.
Clouds are aerosols having small droplets of
water suspended in air. On account of condensation in the upper atmosphere, the
colloidal droplets of water grow bigger and bigger in size, till they come down
in the form of rain. Sometimes, the rainfall occurs when two oppositively
charged clouds meet.
It is possible to cause artificial rain by
throwing electrified sand or spraying a sol carrying charge opposite to the one
on clouds from an aeroplane.
(iii) Food articles : Milk,
butter, halwa, ice creams, fruit juices, etc., are all colloids in one form or the other.
(iv) Blood : Blood
is a colloidal solution of an albuminoid substance. The styptic action of alum and ferric chloride solution is due to
coagulation of blood forming a clot which stops further bleeding.
(v)Soils : Fertile soils are colloidal in nature in which humus acts as a protective colloid. On account of
colloidal nature, soils adsorb moisture and nourishing materials.
(vi) Formation of
delta : River water is colloidal solution of clay. Sea water contains a number of
electrolytes. When river water meets the sea water, the electrolytes present in
sea water coagulate the colloidal solution of clay which get deposited with the
formation of delta.
II.Technical Applications
Electrical
precipitation of smoke : Smoke is a colloidal
solution of solid particles such as
carbon, arsenic compounds, dust, etc., in air. The smoke, before it comes out
from the chimney, is led through a chamber containing plates having a charge
opposite to that carried by smoke particles. The particles on coming in contact
with these plates lose their charge and get precipitated. The particles thus
settle down on the floor of the chamber. The precipitator is called Cottrell precipitator.
Purification of drinking water : The water obtained from natural sources
often contains bacteria and suspended impurities. Alum is added to such water
so as to destroy the bacteria as well as to coagulate the suspended impurities
and make water fit for drinking purposes.
Medicines : Most
of the medicines in use are colloidal in nature. For example, argyrol is a silver sol used as an eye lotion.
Colloidal antimony is used in curing kalazar. Colloidal gold is used for
intramuscular injection. Milk of magnesia,
an emulsion, is used for stomach disorders. Colloidal medicines are more
effective because these are easily assimilated.
Tanning : Animal
hides are colloidal in nature. When a hide, which has positively charged particles, is soaked in tannin, which
contains negatively
charged colloidal particles, mutual coagulation takes place, which
results in the hardening of leather. The process is termed as tanning. Chromium salts have been used
in place of tannin.
(v) Photographic
plates and films : The photographic plates or films are prepared by coating an emulsion of
the light sensitive silver bromide in gelatin over glass plates or celluloid
films.
Rubber industry : Latex is a colloidal solution of rubber particles which are negatively charged. Rubber is obtained by coagulation of
latex.
Industrial products : Paints, inks, synthetic plastics, rubber, graphite lubricants, cement, etc., are all colloidal solutions..
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