Colloids including emulsions find a number of uses in our daily life and industry. Some of the uses are given below:
(i) Rubber plating: Latex is a colloidal solution of negatively charged rubber particles. Rubber plated articles are prepared by depositing negative charged particles over the article to be rubber plated by making that article an anode in a rubber plating bath.
(ii) Medicines: Medicines in colloidal form are easily absorbed by the body tissues and hence are more effective.
(iii) Sewage disposal: Colloidal particles of dirt, mud etc. carry electric charge. Hence when sewage water is passed through the plates kept at a high potential, the colloidal particles are
coagulated due to electrophoresis and the suspended matter gets removed.
(iv) Purification of water: The precipitation of colloidal impurities present in water can be done by adding certain electrolytes like alum etc. The negatively charged colloidal particles of
impurities get neutralized by the Al3+ ions and settle down and pure water can be decanted off.
(v) Formation of delta: River water contains charged colloidal particles of clay, sand and many other materials. Sea water is a very big store – house of a variety of electrolytes dissolved in it. As soon as river water comes in contact with sea water, the electrolytes present in sea water coagulate the suspended colloidal particles which ultimately settle down at the point of contact and thus the level of the river bed rises. As a result, water adopts a different course and delta is formed in due course of time.
(vi) Smoke screen: In warfare, smoke screens are used which are colloidal dispersion of certain
substance in the air.
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