Are aerosols colloids or are they gaseous solutions?
1 Answer
Aerosols are colloids.
An aerosol consists of fine solid particles or liquid droplets dispersed in a gas.
The particles have diameters mostly ranging from 10 nm to 1000 nm (1 μm).
The components of a solution are atoms, ions, or molecules. They are usually less than 1 nm in diameter.
Aerosols show the typical properties of colloidal dispersions:
- The dispersed particles remain evenly distributed through the gas and do not settle out.
- The particles undergo Brownian motion.
- The particles undergo diffusion.
- They show the Tyndall effect.
Examples of aerosols include haze, fog, mist, dust, smoke, and particulates from industrial pollution.
