What is a Suspension?
A suspension in chemistry is a heterogeneous mixture in which the solute particles do not dissolve but remain suspended throughout the bulk of the medium.
What are the properties of a suspension?
- It is a heterogeneous mixture.
- The particles of the solute can be seen by the naked
- A suspension is
- The particles of a suspension scatter the beam of light passing through it. When the particles settle, the suspension breaks and light is no longer
Let us understand these properties with an example.
When sand is stirred into a beaker of water, it does not dissolve in water. Instead, it just floats around. That is the sand particles remain suspended in the water. As the components of the mixture are visible, it is heterogeneous
Sand particles suspended in water
When a beam of light is passed through it, it is scattered by the particles of the suspension.
But when left undisturbed for some time, the sand eventually settles at the bottom. The sand can be separated from the water by filtration. This means the suspension is unstable. When a beam of light is passed through after the sand settles, there is no scattering of light.