Page 27 - Introduction to Colloid and Surface Chemistry

18 The colloidal state

Dialysis and gel filtration

Conventional filter papers retain only particles with diameters in
excess of at least 1 u.m and are, therefore, permeable to colloidal
particles.
The use of membranes for separating particles of colloidal
dimensions is termed dialysis. The most commonly used membranes
are prepared from regenerated cellulose products such as collodion (a
partially evaporated solution of cellulose nitrate in alcohol plus
ether), Cellophane and Visking. Membranes with various, approx-
imately known, pore sizes can be obtained commercially (usually in
the form of 'sausage skins' or 'thimbles'). However, particle size and
pore size cannot be properly correlated, since the permeability of a
membrane is also affected by factors such as electrical repulsion when
.the membrane and particles are of like charge, and particle
adsorption on the filter which can lead to a blocking of the pores.
Dialysis is particularly useful for removing small dissolved molecules
from colloidal solutions or dispersions - e.g. extraneous electrolyte
such as KNOj from Agl sol. The process is hastened by stirring so as
to maintain a high concentration gradient of diffusible molecules
across the membrane and by renewing the outer liquid from time to
time (Figure 1.5).
Ultrafiltration is the application of pressure or suction to force the
solvent and small particles across a membrane while the larger
particles are retained. The membrane is normally supported between
fine wire screens or deposited in a highly porous support such as a
sintered glass disc. An important application of ultrafiltration is the
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so-called reverse osmosis method of water desalination .
Another most valuable development of the ultrafiltration principle
is the technique of gel permeation chromatography for the separation
of the components of a polymeric sample and determination of the
relative molecular mass distribution. The usual experimental arrange-
ment involves the application of a pressure to force polymer solution
through a chromatographic column filled with porous beads. The
larger polymer molecules tend not to enter the pores of the beads and
so pass through the column relatively quickly, whereas the smaller
polymer molecules tend to diffuse through the pore structure of the
beads and so take longer to pass through the column. The eluted
polymer can be detected and estimated by measuring the refractive