Physical – chemistry -1

Lecture 5 /part 2- Surface chemistry

Dr. Kadhim Noori
Assist. lect. Marwa Mohammed

Al – Turath University College

Oil and Gas Refining Engineering Department
 Colloid System
A colloidal system is a type of mixture in which one part is dispersed
constantly throughout another. Colloid systems are usually formed
when one part is dispersed through another but does not combine to
form a solution. Fog is an example of a colloidal system with liquid
dispersed in gas.
Colloids show the following properties:
• It is a heterogeneous mixture.
• The size of colloidal particles is very small.
• They don't settle down when left undisturbed for some time.
• They cannot be separated by the filtration process.
The components of a colloidal solution are :
❑Dispersed phase: The solute-like component of the dispersed
particles in a colloid form the dispersed phase.
❑Dispersion medium: The component in which the dispersed
phase is suspended is known as the dispersing medium.
Colloid solutions can be classified into three:

1.Emulsion: Emulsion is a mixture of liquids it is as if one liquid is constantly dispersed all through another liquid.
An example of this would be milk.
2.Foam: The foam in this set is created by capturing the gas in a liquid. The substances which are dispersed would be
the gas, triggering the fluid to become frothy and foamy. An example of this will be shaving cream.
3.Sol: This is the third form called a sol, which is when a solid is evenly dispersed throughout a fluid. Samples of soil
include paint and blood.
What is the strongest colloid?
solid sol
We know that solid sol is the colloidal solution of a
solid and a solid. Since there is a mixture of solid and
solid, the bond between them is quite strong. Thus it
is considered to be the strongest colloid.
 gel
Silica gel
A gel is a semi-solid that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and
tough. Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits
no flow when in the steady-state, although the liquid phase may still diffuse through
this system.

note
➢ gels are mostly liquid, yet they behave like solids because of a three-dimensional
cross-linked network within the liquid. It is the crosslinking within the fluid that
gives a gel its structure (hardness) and contributes to the adhesive stick (tack). In
this way, gels are a dispersion of molecules of a liquid within a solid medium.

➢ The process of forming a gel is called gelation.

➢ Gels consist of a solid three-dimensional network that spans the volume of a liquid
medium and ensnares it through surface tension effects. This internal network
structure may result from physical bonds (physical gels) or chemical bonds
(chemical gels), as well as crystallites or other junctions that remain intact within
the extending fluid. Virtually any fluid can be used as an extender including water
(hydrogels), oil, and air (aerogel).
Emulsions
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally
immiscible (unmixable or unbendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase
separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase
systems of matter called colloids. In an emulsion, one liquid (the
dispersed phase) is dispersed in the other (the continuous phase).
Examples of emulsions include homogenized milk and some cutting
fluids for metal working.

❖ Two liquids can form different types of emulsions. As an

example, oil and water can form:

✓ first, an oil-in-water emulsion, in which the oil is the dispersed

phase, and water is the continuous phase.
✓ Second, they can form a water-in-oil emulsion, in which water is
the dispersed phase and oil is the continuous phase.
Emulsion stability refers to the ability of an emulsion to resist change in its properties
over time.

There are four types of instability in emulsions:

flocculation, coalescence, creaming/sedimentation, and Ostwald ripening.

➢ Flocculation occurs when there is an attractive force between the droplets, so they
form flocs, like bunches of grapes. This process can be desired, if controlled in its
extent, to tune the physical properties of emulsions such as their flow behavior.

➢ Coalescence occurs when droplets bump into each other and combine to form a larger
droplet, so the average droplet size increases over time.

➢ Emulsions can also undergo creaming, where the droplets rise to the top of the
emulsion under the influence of buoyancy, or under the influence of the centripetal
force induced when a centrifuge is used. Creaming is a common phenomenon in dairy
and non-dairy beverages (i.e. milk, coffee milk, almond milk, soy milk) and usually
does not change the droplet size Sedimentation is the opposite phenomenon of
creaming and normally observed in water-in-oil emulsions.

➢ Sedimentation happens when the dispersed phase is denser than the continuous phase
and the gravitational forces pull the denser globules towards the bottom of the
emulsion. sedimentation follows Stokes' law.
 Emulsifier

An emulsifier (also known as an "emulgent") is a substance that stabilizes an emulsion by

increasing its kinetic stability. Emulsifiers are a part of a broader group of compounds
known as surfactants, or "surface-active agents". (e.g., oil and water).

What are emulsifiers and how do they work?

additives used to help mix two substances that typically separate

when they are combined (e.g., oil and water).
Emulsifiers have one water-loving (hydrophilic) and one oil-
loving (hydrophobic) end. When they are added to an unmixable
liquid, the emulsifier molecules position themselves along the
so-called interfacial layer where the oil separates from the water.
Here, the emulsifier is positioned in such a way that their
hydrophilic end faces towards the water phase and their
hydrophobic end faces the oil phase, making it possible for the
water and oil to become finely dispersed in each other. In the
end, the emulsifier creates a stable, homogenous, and smooth
emulsion.
Detergents are another class of surfactant, and will interact physically with both oil and
water, thus stabilizing the interface between the oil and water droplets in suspension.
This principle is exploited in soap, to remove grease for the purpose of cleaning. Many
different emulsifiers are used in pharmacy to prepare emulsions such as creams and
lotions.

Mechanisms of emulsification
A number of different chemical and physical processes and mechanisms can be involved in the process
of emulsification:

➢ Surface tension theory: according to this theory, emulsification takes place by reduction of
interfacial tension between two phases.

➢ Repulsion theory: the emulsifying agent creates a film over one phase that forms globules, which
repel each other. This repulsive force causes them to remain suspended in the dispersion medium.

➢ Viscosity modification: emulgents like acacia and tragacanth, which are hydrocolloids, as well as
PEG (or polyethylene glycol), glycerine, and other polymers like CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose),
all increase the viscosity of the medium, which helps create and maintain the suspension of globules
of dispersed phase.
 Uses
❑ In food

Oil-in-water emulsions are common in food products:

• Crema (foam) in espresso – coffee oil in water (brewed coffee), unstable colloid
• Mayonnaise and Hollandaise sauces – these are oil-in-water emulsions
stabilized with egg yolk lecithin, or with other types of food additives.
• Homogenized milk – an emulsion of milk fat in water, with milk proteins as the
emulsifier
• Vinaigrette – an emulsion of vegetable oil in vinegar, if this is prepared using
only oil and vinegar (i.e., without an emulsifier), an unstable emulsion results.

❑ In healthcare

In pharmaceutics, hairstyling, personal hygiene, and cosmetics, emulsions are

frequently used. These are usually oil and water emulsions but dispersed, and
which is continuous depends in many cases on the pharmaceutical formulation.
These emulsions may be called creams, ointments, liniments (balms), pastes,
films, or liquids, depending mostly on their oil-to-water ratios, and other
additives. A highly liquid emulsion may also be used orally, or may be injected in
some cases.
❑ In firefighting

Emulsifying agents are effective at extinguishing fires on small, thin-layer

spills of flammable liquids (class B fires). Such agents encapsulate the fuel
in a fuel-water emulsion, thereby trapping the flammable vapors in the water
phase. This emulsion is achieved by applying an aqueous surfactant solution
to the fuel through a high-pressure nozzle. Emulsifiers are not effective at
extinguishing large fires involving bulk/deep liquid fuels, because the
amount of emulsifier agent needed for extinguishment is a function of the
volume of the fuel, whereas other agents such as aqueous film-forming foam
need to cover only the surface of the fuel to achieve vapor mitigation.

❑ Chemical synthesis

Emulsions are used to manufacture polymer dispersions – polymer

production in an emulsion 'phase' has a number of process advantages,
including prevention of coagulation of product. Products produced by such
polymerisations may be used as the emulsions – products including primary
components for glues and paints. Synthetic latexes (rubbers) are also
produced by this process.