Acetyl chloride on reduction with H2 in presence of Pd as catalyst gives ethanol, whereas in presence of Pd-BaSO4, it gives ethanal.

Solutions are homogenous systems e.g. sugar solution. If sand is stirred in water, it slowly settles down and is called a suspension. Between the extremes of suspensions and solutions a large group of systems called colloidal dispersion or simply colloids exist.

A colloidal is a heterogeneous system in which one substance is dispersed (dispersed phase) as very fine particles in another substance called dispersion medium. The essential difference between a solution and a colloidal is one of particle size. In a solution, the particles or ions are small molecules. In a colloid, the dispersed phase may consist a particles of a simple macromolecule (such as protein or synthetic polymer) or an aggregate of many atoms, ions or molecules. Colloidal particles are larger than simple molecules but small enough to remain suspended. They have a range of a diameter between 1 and 1000 nm.