Can anyone tell me the difference between colloid and emulsion??

Question

I really need information about these two! Its for our exam.. I just want to be familiarized with the terms and its functions/uses. Cause its useless if I just memorize without knowing what the term means or what it does.. ehehe,

Answer 1

A colloid is a type of mechanical mixture where one substance is dispersed evenly throughout another. Because of this dispersal, some colloids have the appearance of solutions. A colloidal system consists of two separate phases: a dispersed phase (or internal phase) and a continuous phase (or dispersion medium). A colloidal system may be solid, liquid, or gaseous.

An emulsion (IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/[1]) is a mixture of two immiscible (unblendable) substances. One substance (the dispersed phase) is dispersed in the other (the continuous phase). Examples of emulsions include butter and margarine, milk and cream, espresso, mayonnaise, the photo-sensitive side of photographic film, magmas and cutting fluid for metal working. In butter and margarine, oil surrounds droplets of water (a water-in-oil emulsion). In milk and cream, water surrounds droplets of oil (an oil-in-water emulsion). In certain types of magma, globules of liquid NiFe may be dispersed within a continuous phase of liquid silicates. Emulsification is the process by which emulsions are prepared.

Emulsion is also a term used in the oil field as untreated well production that consists primarily of crude oil and water.