Name: suspensions, sedimentation, and colloids
Uploaded: 2023-06-23T15:38:43.000Z
Duration: 1 min 17 s
Channel: JoVE

Colloids and suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures of two or more physically intermixed components.
In a colloid, the size of the solute particles ranges from 1 to 1000 nanometers, small enough that they are invisible individually. However, these solute particles can scatter light, making colloids appear translucent or opaque. They remain in the solution indefinitely and do not settle.
Cytosol, the semifluid material inside living cells, is a colloid because of the numerous proteins and metabolites dispersed in it.
In contrast, suspensions contain large particles, usually over 10000 nanometers, often visible to the naked eye.
When left undisturbed, these particles settle down as sediments.
Blood is an example of a suspension. When freshly drawn blood is left undisturbed for some time, the red blood cells settle at the bottom of the container. The upper liquid portion, called the blood plasma, is a solution of small solutes as well as a colloid containing larger plasma proteins.

colloids and suspensions

Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles visible to the naked eye or seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. The suspended particles in a suspension settle out after some time of mixing. The separation of particles from a suspension is called sedimentation. A blood test to determine the rate of sedimentation measures how quickly red blood cells in a test tube settle out of the watery portion of blood (known as plasma) over a set time. Rapid sedimentation of blood cells does not usually happen in a healthy body. Still, aspects of certain diseases can cause blood cells to clump together, and these heavy clumps of blood cells settle to the bottom of the test tube more quickly than normal blood cells.
Another class of mixtures called colloids (or colloidal dispersions) exhibit properties intermediate between those of suspensions and solutions. The particles in a colloid are larger than most simple molecules; however, colloidal particles are small enough that they do not settle out upon standing. The particles in a colloid are large enough to scatter light; a phenomenon called the Tyndall effect; which is why colloidal mixtures appear cloudy or opaque, such as searchlight beams. Clouds are also colloidal mixtures. They are composed of water droplets much larger than molecules but small enough not to settle out. Some colloids have the property to undergo sol-gel transformations, which can transform reversibly from a fluid to a solid (gel) state. For example, gelatin products solidify to form a gel when refrigerated, which can be liquefied again when heated. The sol-gel property of cytosol, the fluid of living cells, is essential for many cellular activities, such as cell division or change in cell shape. The particulate component of a colloidal solution, present in a relatively minor amount, is called the dispersed phase. The substance or solution throughout which the particulate is distributed is called the dispersion medium.
This text is adapted from <a href="https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/2-4-inorganic-compounds-essential-to-human-functioning">Openstax, Anatomy and Physiology 2e, Section 2.4: Inorganic Compounds Essential to Human Functioning</a> and <a href="https://openstax.org/books/chemistry-2e/pages/11-5-colloids">Openstax, Chemistry 2e, Section 11.5: Colloids</a>.

Colloids and Suspensions

Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera ...

Education

JoVE Core

Anatomy and Physiology

Unit 1

Fundamentals of Chemistry

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

suspensions, sedimentation, and colloids

Suspensions and colloids are two common kinds of mixtures seen in everyday life. Mud and water, flour and water, and tempera paint are suspensions. These mixtures are heterogeneous, which means their particles are not spread out evenly. The particles are relatively large and can be seen with the naked eye or a magnifying glass.

Suspension particles make mixtures cloudy, and they settle out after mixing. The settling of particles in a suspension is called sedimentation. A blood test can measure the rate of sedimentation by showing how fast red blood cells settle out of plasma, the watery part of blood, in a test tube over time. Rapid sedimentation is not usual in a healthy body, but some diseases can cause blood cells to clump together and sink faster than normal cells.

Colloids, also called colloidal dispersions, sit between suspensions and solutions. Their particles are larger than most simple molecules, but they are small enough that they do not settle out when left standing. Colloidal particles are still large enough to scatter light. This is known as the Tyndall effect, and it makes colloids look cloudy or opaque, like a beam from a searchlight.

Clouds are another example of a colloid. They contain water droplets that are bigger than molecules, but still small enough to stay suspended in the air. Some colloids can also change from a fluid sol to a solid gel and back again. Gelatin is one example. It forms a gel when chilled and can become liquid again when heated. The sol-gel behavior of cytosol, the fluid inside living cells, is important for cell division and for changes in cell shape.

In a colloid, the dispersed phase is the particulate part present in smaller amount. The dispersion medium is the substance that carries the particles throughout the mixture. These terms help describe how colloids are organized and why they behave differently from suspensions and solutions.

Suspensions, Sedimentation, and Colloids

what is matter?

Matter, Mass, and Weight Basics

Matter is the substance that makes up the universe, from a grain of sand to a star. Scientists define matter as anything that occupies space and has mass. Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while weight depends on gravity. Mass stays the same whether an object is on Earth or in the zero-gravity environment of outer space. Weight changes when gravity changes. An object weighs more where gravity is stronger and less where gravity is weaker. A piece of cheese that weighs a pound on Earth...

the periodic table and organismal elements

the-periodic-table-and-organismal-elements

Organismal Elements in the Periodic Table

The periodic table helps identify the elements that make up living organisms. Biology groups these as organismal elements because they are the chemical building blocks of life. These elements are found in different amounts in the body. Some are present in large quantities, while others are needed only in small amounts. The video connects the periodic table to the elements that organisms actually use. Understanding organismal elements helps students link chemistry to biology. It shows how...

atomic structure

From Atomos to the Modern Atom

Atoms are the tiny building blocks of matter, and ideas about them go back to the Greek philosopher Democritus. He suggested that everything on Earth is made of atomos, a Greek word meaning "indivisible." That idea later led to the modern word atom. In the 19th century, John Dalton developed an atomic theory that is still largely correct today. He proposed five key ideas. All matter is made of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms of the same element are alike, and atoms of different elements are...

chemical symbols

Chemical Symbols and Element Names

Chemical symbols are short abbreviations that stand for an element or a single atom of that element. Mercury, for example, has the symbol Hg. The same symbol can point to one atom of mercury in the microscopic domain or to a sample labeled as many atoms of mercury in the macroscopic domain. Many symbols come from the element’s common name. Others are shortened from a name in another language. Most chemical symbols use one or two letters. For a few elements with atomic numbers above 112,...

atomic number and mass number

Atomic Identity, Mass, and Isotopes

Atomic identity depends on the number of protons in the nucleus, and mass depends on protons and neutrons together. The number of protons is the atomic number, or Z. It defines the element. For example, any atom with six protons is carbon, no matter how many neutrons or electrons it has. In a neutral atom, the number of protons equals the number of electrons. Because of that, the atomic number also tells you the number of electrons in the atom. The total number of protons and neutrons is...

atomic weight

Atomic Mass and Mole Calculations

Atomic mass and mole calculations help explain how much matter is in atoms and compounds. Protons and neutrons have about the same mass, about 1.67 × 10 -24 grams. Scientists define that mass as one atomic mass unit, or amu, also called one Dalton. Electrons are much lighter than protons. They weigh only 9.11 × 10 -28 grams, or about 1/1800 of an atomic mass unit. Because of that small mass, electrons do not add much to an element’s overall atomic mass. When chemists calculate atomic mass,...

isotopes and radioisotopes

Radioisotopes in Medicine and Imaging

Radioisotopes are unstable isotopes that can be used to study the body and treat disease. An isotope is an atom of the same element that has a different mass because it contains a different number of neutrons. It still has the same number of protons, so it remains chemically identical. English chemist Frederick Soddy explained this idea in the early 1900s and later received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921. Some isotopes have more neutrons than usual and are called heavy isotopes. These...

electron behavior

Electron Shells and Discovery

Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles that stay near the positively charged nucleus of an atom. They occupy spaces linked to energy levels called shells. They are also arranged into subshells and orbitals within each shell. An electron’s shell shows its general energy level. Electrons closer to the nucleus have less energy, while electrons farther away have more energy. The outer shells have more space, so they can hold more electrons than the inner shells. Subshells describe...

introduction to chemical bonds

How Atoms Bond to Reach Stability

Atoms bond to become more stable, and their outermost electrons play the biggest role in that process. The inner electron shell can hold two electrons. The next two shells can each hold eight electrons. This is called the octet rule. It states that, except for the innermost shell, atoms are most stable when their valence shell, or outer shell, has eight electrons. When atoms do not have enough electrons to fill that outer shell, they form chemical bonds with other atoms. A chemical bond is the...

ionic bonds

Ionic Bonds and Charge Transfer

Ionic bonds form when atoms transfer electrons and become charged particles. A positive ion and a negative ion attract each other because opposite charges pull together. This type of bonding helps explain how some substances are held together. In many cases, an atom loses one or more electrons, while another atom gains them. The atom that loses electrons becomes a cation, which is a positively charged ion. The atom that gains electrons becomes an anion, which is a negatively charged ion. The...

covalent bonds

Polar and Nonpolar Covalent Bonds

Covalent bonds form when atoms share electrons to fill their valence shells. The way those shared electrons are pulled depends on electronegativity, which is an atom's tendency to attract electrons in a bond. That difference also helps explain why some molecules are polar and others are nonpolar. Atoms with similar electronegativities form nonpolar covalent bonds. In these bonds, electrons are shared equally, so there is no charge across the molecule. When two atoms have different...

hydrogen bonds

Hydrogen Bonding and DNA Stability

Hydrogen bonding helps explain why some molecules stick together more strongly than others. A hydrogen bond forms when a weakly positive hydrogen atom, already bonded to an electronegative atom, is attracted to another electronegative atom on a nearby polar molecule. Common examples include water, hydrogen fluoride, and ammonia. This attraction happens because hydrogen has a much lower electronegativity than atoms such as fluorine, oxygen, and nitrogen. The electronegativity difference, along...

ions, molecules, and compounds

Atomic Charges, Bonds, and Compounds

Atoms can gain or lose electrons during chemical reactions and become ions. An ion is an atom with an electrical charge. This charge is positive or negative, and it often helps the atom reach a full valence shell. Some atoms are more likely to donate electrons, while others are more likely to accept them. Potassium is one example. It has atomic number 19 and one electron in its valence shell, so it is likely to donate that electron and become a slightly positive ion called a cation. Fluorine...

states of matter

Solids, Liquids, Gases, and Plasma

Solids, liquids, gases, and plasma are the main forms of matter described here. Solids are rigid and keep a definite shape. Liquids flow and take the shape of their container, although gravity gives the surface a flat or slightly curved top. Solids and liquids also have volumes that stay nearly the same even when pressure changes. Gases behave differently from solids and liquids. A gas takes both the shape and the volume of its container. In matter with this behavior, the particles are far...

Suspensions and colloids are two common kinds of mixtures seen in everyday life. Mud and water, flour and water, and tempera paint are suspensions. These mixtures are heterogeneous, which means their particles are not spread out evenly. The particles are relatively large and can be seen with the naked eye or a magnifying glass. Suspension particles make mixtures cloudy, and they settle out after mixing. The settling of particles in a suspension is called sedimentation. A blood test can measure...

introduction to chemical reactions

Chemical Reaction Basics and Equilibrium

Chemical reactions start with reactants and end with products. Reactants are the substances that enter a reaction, and products are the new substances that form. For example, sodium and chloride ions are the reactants in the formation of table salt. Chemical reactions follow the law of conservation of mass. Matter is not created or destroyed during the reaction. That means the atoms and elements in the reactants are still present in the products, and nothing new appears in the products that...

types of chemical reactions: anabolic and catabolic

types-of-chemical-reactions-anabolic-and-catabolic

Anabolism, Catabolism, and ATP Use

Anabolism and catabolism are the two main kinds of metabolic reactions in the body. Metabolism is the total set of anabolic and catabolic reactions that keep life running. These reactions follow the first law of thermodynamics, which says energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change form. Anabolism builds larger, more complex molecules from smaller ones. These anabolic, or biosynthesis, reactions need energy in the form of ATP. They join monosaccharides into polysaccharides, fatty...

types of chemical reactions: exchange and reversible

types-of-chemical-reactions-exchange-and-reversible

Electron Transfer and Chemical Equilibrium

Exchange reactions and reversible reactions are two important ideas in chemistry. In an exchange reaction, synthesis and decomposition happen at the same time. Chemical bonds are both formed and broken. These reactions can absorb chemical energy, store it, and release it. A special type of exchange reaction is the oxidation-reduction reaction, or redox reaction. In a redox reaction, electrons move from one compound to another. The electrons often come from hydrogen atoms, which contain one...

energy transfer in chemical reactions

Chemical Energy and Reaction Types

Chemical reactions depend on energy transfer, chemical bonds, and the way matter collides. A reaction needs enough energy for particles to meet with the right force and precision. That energy can break old bonds and help form new ones. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. A person lifting a brick uses kinetic energy to move the brick into place on a wall. Once the wall is built, it stores potential energy, which is the energy of position or structure. If the wall falls, that stored energy...

factors influencing the rate of chemical reactions

factors-influencing-the-rate-of-chemical-reactions

Chemical Reaction Rates and Catalysts

Chemical reaction rates depend on how often particles collide and whether those collisions have enough energy to start a reaction. That starting energy is called activation energy. Factors that affect reaction rate either lower that energy or make successful collisions more likely. Concentration and pressure can speed reactions up because they put more particles in the same space. When more particles are present, they are more likely to bump into one another. Chemists can also increase...

acids, bases and neutralization reactions

How pH Affects Cells and Digestion

Acids, bases, and pH help control how cells and body systems work. In biology, pH can strongly affect enzymes, proteins, and nucleic acids. Enzymes work best within a certain pH range, and pH changes can alter their structure or denature them, which changes how they function. Acids release hydrogen ions, or H+, in solution. A hydrogen ion is a proton, so it is very reactive in chemical reactions. Strong acids release all of their H+ in water and ionize completely. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a...

key terms and concepts

Learn how suspensions settle, how sedimentation works, and why colloids stay cloudy without settling. Explore real examples like blood, clouds, and gelatin.

Suspensions, Sedimentation, and Colloids | JoVE K12

anatomy and physiology

JoVE Core Anatomy and Physiology showcases the anatomical and physiological details of the human body in comprehensive, clear, and engaging video animations. This collection of lessons focuses on the structures, components, functions, and requirements of the human body. It is complemented by scientist-in-action videos that demonstrate the application of this knowledge in real-world medical and research settings.

Suspensions, Sedimentation, and Colloids

Description

Transcript

Tags