Ch.4 - Reactions in Aqueous Solution

Problem 13.85a

Chapter 4, Problem 13.85a

(a) Do colloids made only of gases exist? Why or why not?

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Colloids are mixtures where one substance is dispersed evenly throughout another.

In colloids, the dispersed phase can be solid, liquid, or gas, and the dispersion medium can also be solid, liquid, or gas.

For a colloid to exist, there must be a distinct dispersed phase and a dispersion medium.

In the case of gases, when mixed together, they form homogeneous mixtures due to their high kinetic energy and low intermolecular forces, not colloids.

Therefore, colloids made only of gases do not exist because gases mix uniformly, lacking a distinct dispersed phase and medium.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Colloids

Colloids are mixtures where one substance is dispersed evenly throughout another. They consist of small particles that do not settle out and can be solid, liquid, or gas. The dispersed phase can be a solid, liquid, or gas, while the continuous phase is typically a liquid or gas. Understanding colloids is essential to determine their properties and behavior in different states.

Dispersion Medium

The dispersion medium is the substance in which the colloidal particles are distributed. In the case of gas colloids, the dispersion medium would also need to be a gas. However, gases have low density and high kinetic energy, making it challenging to maintain stable colloidal systems, as particles tend to disperse rather than remain suspended.

Stability of Colloids

The stability of colloids refers to their ability to remain uniformly distributed without settling. Factors such as particle size, charge, and interactions between particles influence stability. In gas colloids, the high energy and movement of gas particles can lead to rapid separation, making stable gas-only colloids unlikely to exist under normal conditions.

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Related Practice

Textbook Question

You are titrating an acidic solution with a basic one, and just realized you forgot to add the indicator that tells you when the equivalence point is reached. In this titration, the indicator turns blue at the equivalence point from an initially colorless solution. You quickly grab a bottle of indicator and add some to your titration beaker, and the whole solution turns dark blue. What do you do now?

Textbook Question

State whether each of the following statements is true or false. Justify your answer in each case. (a) Electrolyte solutions conduct electricity because electrons are moving through the solution.

Textbook Question

State whether each of the following statements is true or false. Justify your answer in each case. (b) If you add a nonelectrolyte to an aqueous solution that already contains an electrolyte, the electrical conductivity will not change.

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Textbook Question

(b) In the 1850s, Michael Faraday prepared ruby-red

colloids of gold nanoparticles in water that are still stable

today. These brightly colored colloids look like solutions.

What experiment(s) could you do to determine whether a

given colored preparation is a solution or colloid?

Textbook Question

Choose the best answer: A colloidal dispersion of one liquid

in another is called (a) a gel, (b) an emulsion, (c) a foam,

(d) an aerosol

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