Page 20 - Introduction to Colloid and Surface Chemistry

The colloidal state 11

A coarse sulphur sol can be prepared by pouring a saturated
solution of sulphur in alcohol or acetone into water just below boiling
point. The alcohol or acetone vaporises, leaving the water-insoluble
sulphur colloidally dispersed. This technique is convenient for
dispersing wax-like material in an aqueous medium.
Examples of hydrosols which can be prepared by suitably controlled
chemical reaction include the following:
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1. Silver iodide sol. Mix equal volumes of aqueous solutions (10~ to
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10~ 2 mol dm~ ) of silver nitrate and potassium iodide. Separate
the sol from larger particles by decantation or filtration. By
arranging for the silver nitrate or the potassium iodide to be in
very slight excess, positively or negatively charged particles,
respectively, of silver iodide can be formed.
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3
2. Gold sol. Add 1 cm of 1% HAuCl 4.3H 2O to 100 cm of distilled
water. Bring to the boil and add 2.5 cm 3 of 1% sodium citrate.
Keep the solution just boiling. A ruby red gold sol forms after a
few minutes.
3. Sulphur sol. Mix equal volumes of aqueous solutions (10~ 3 to
3 3
5 x 10~ mol dm" ) of Na 2S 2O 3 and HC1.
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4. Hydrous iron(IH) oxide sol. Add, with stirring, 2 cm of 30%
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FeQ 3(aq) to 500 cm of boiling distilled water. A clear reddish-
brown dispersion is formed.
Nucleation and growth

The formation of a new phase during precipitation involves two
distinct stages - nucleation (the formation of centres of crystallisation)
and crystal growth - and (leaving aside the question of stability) it is
the relative rates of these processes which determine the particle size
of the precipitate so formed. A high degree of dispersion is obtained
when the rate of nucleation is high and the rate of crystal growth is
low.
The initial rate of nucleation depends on the degree of supersatura-
tion which can be reached before phase separation occurs, so that
colloidal sols are most easily prepared when the substance in question
has a very low solubility. With material as soluble as, for example,
calcium carbonate, there is a tendency for the smaller particles to
redissolve (see page 68) and recrystallise on the larger particles as the
precipitate is allowed to age.