Are aerosols colloids or are they gaseous solutions?

1 Answer
Aug 14, 2014

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.

atofms.ucsd.edu/sites/atofms.ucsd.edu/files/smoke.jpeg