Emulsoids

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Colloidal systems where small particles disperse in a continuous medium without settling ; stabilized by hydration or other protective layers ; exhibit properties intermediate between solutions and suspensions
2. Substances composed of minute particles suspended throughout another substance ; maintained in stable dispersal through interaction with the surrounding medium ; display characteristics between those of true solutions and coarse dispersions
3. Dispersed phase systems formed by ultra-fine particles in a fluid, kept from aggregating by surrounding layers ; resist sedimentation ; have behaviors distinct from both ordinary solutions and unstable mixtures

Etymology: Emulsoids are a kind of colloid, and the word is a blend of two older terms: "emulsion," from Latin "emulgere" meaning "to milk out" (a reference to draining liquid from a vessel), and "colloid," from Greek "kolla," glue, because early chemists noticed that certain substances dissolved into jelly-like masses resembling glue. The blend "emulsoid" joins the two ideas: a dispersion like an emulsion, but one in which the tiny particles stay suspended rather than separating out. The plural "emulsoids" is simply the plural of "emulsoid," so it refers to more than one such system. Gelatin, starch paste and egg white are familiar examples of substances that behave this way, holding their particles in a steady, jelly-like state rather than settling or splitting into layers.

Synonyms: emulsions, mixtures