Particles and the stuff around them

The idea

A colloid has two components: the dispersed phase, its solute-like dispersed particles, and the dispersion medium, the component in which the dispersed phase is suspended.

Two parts of a colloid

In a colloid, tiny particles are spread through another substance. Zoomed in, milk would show droplets with liquid around them.

Which part is like the solute: the particles or the substance around them?

• The particles spread through the mixture
• The substance around the particles
• Neither: a colloid has no parts

Zoom into milk

Zoom in on the milk. Tap a droplet, then tap the liquid around the droplets.

Two components

A colloid has two components. The solute-like component, the dispersed particles, forms the dispersed phase. The component in which the dispersed phase is suspended is the dispersion medium.

In milk, oil droplets are the dispersed phase and water is the dispersion medium.

Notes

A colloid has a dispersed phase (the solute-like particles) and a dispersion medium (the component they are suspended in).

Check yourself

In a colloid, the dispersed particles form the…

The component in which the dispersed phase is suspended is the…

Which part of a colloid is solute-like?

In milk (oil droplets in water), the dispersion medium is…

• dispersion medium. That is the component they are suspended in.
• dispersed phase — correct. Yes.
• solvent. A solvent belongs to a solution.
• dispersed phase. That is the particles themselves.
• precipitate. Not a term used for colloids here.
• dispersion medium — correct. Yes.
• The dispersed phase — correct. Yes.
• The dispersion medium. The medium is the component the particles are in.
• Neither. The dispersed phase is the solute-like component.
• oil. The oil droplets are the dispersed phase.
• air. The droplets are suspended in water.
• water — correct. Yes. The droplets are suspended in it.