The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1917-10-06
.COLLOIDS IN
IN DAILY LIFE.


No one subject has attracted the
attention of scientists more in recent
years than colloids, a class of sub
stances closely linked to everyday life
but at the same time little understood.
In general, the Colloid refers to sub
stances like gelatin, white OF an egg,
glue, etc, which are made up to a
large extent of water. but from which
the water can be separated only with
difficulty. 1t is impossible to sepa-
rate water from egg white by distilla-
tion, because heat coagulates the al
bumin into a solid white mass. Eli
tering will not separate the albumin
| (Which is yellow solid) from the
water. because both pass unseparated
| thru any filtering medium. Gvapo-
ration Will it is true, extract the wa
/ ter and leave the crystals of albumin,
Iif this exceedingly slow process can
/ be completed before the egg spoils.
/ Chemists are always on the lookout
/ FOR means of extracting water from
colloids. because money could he saw
| ed i'm many ways il methods of eX-
traction were known. For instance,
whale oil is colloid, containing a
/ large amount of water. In its native
! condition ii has "A foul odor and de-
composes readily. Recently a process
has been discovered for separating the
, Ing product is a hard, white substance
free from smell and absolutely dur
able. If the disC Covery of this method
/ of extraction had been made in time
! Germany might have prepared herself
against the fat famine which she is
now eperiencing. Another example Of
Colloid problem. wsich, however.
has not yet been solved, is the sepa-
ration Of water from peat. 1t cannot
he squeezed out, because the whole
jelly mass escapes when pressure is
applied and the only known process
/ for trying is by tedious eVapora alton
! in the air. When "A methor of ex-
traction is found the world will have
| a new source of solid fuel. There are
dozens of cases where collods In gem
eral use give results which are COM
Imonplace but uneNplaina bile. Colloid-
al properties are responsible for the
setting of cement and OF gelatin.
! Tungsten is too brittle a metal to be
drawn out into fine wires. and lamp
! filaments have to be made from col
loidal tungsten which later sets and
/ becomes the wire as we know it. The
| flesh of the human body Is a cOlloid.
In its solid condition. parts of it. like
| the muscles and kidneys, contain a
! larger percentage OF water than the
blood, which is a liquid. Clouds are
COllods in gaseous form. There are
!
from colloids. Heating and adding
salt Will often accomplish the desired
result. Passing electricity. thru col
loidal solution will sometimes cause
precipitation of the solid matter
| There is a theory which now is GEN
orally credited that electricity passing
| thru clouds breaks up the colloidal
condition and precipitates rain. AS
| IL the case with most scientific sub
| iects. nothing absolutely definite is
known about collOids. their nature or
their cause. Observed phenomena
I form the hypothesis for further in
(vestigation, and this scientific pyra-
mid includes everything that is known
on the subject. II | foundation prin-
ciple of the theory Of colloids were
! found inadequate, the whole struc-
! ture Of knowledge on the subject
would have to be rebuilt. The current
/ theory Is that colliods are liquids in
which are suspended a large number
OF particles ranging in size from one
thousandth to one-millionth OF a milli-
meter in diameter. When the parti-
cles are larger than this they are sus-
pended in the liquid. When smaller.
| they form a true solution. Sand in
water Is an example of suspension
sugar in water forms a solution: and
colloids are believed to lie in the un-
known land between these >. To the
1
ing thing about a coIoidal solution is
| the movement Of the Particles that are
I'm semi-solution, which is plainly. dis
cernible thru a high-power mS ro~
scope The effect is much Ike the
particles OF dust floating in the air
which are visible when sunlight shines
| thru a crack into a dark room In
| the same way that the dust moves
| the particles in solution in a collold
move at a speed which is too fast to
measure, and this movement may be
actually observed with the eye. There
! Is no known cause for this Brown!an
movement. as it is called, but scient-
| lists like to believe that II the 1st posi-
| tive proof they have of their theory
! that everything Is made mp of tiny
| particles which are in constant mo-
! ton. Cooling the solution slows up
| the speed Of the moving particles.
! and mathematicians have calculated
I that at 273 degrees below zero Cent?
| grade all movement will have stopped.
Scientists have not yet been able to
obtain temperature below 250 de-
grees below zero. This study Of col
/ lOids is by no means Improbable be-
cause the extension OF knowledge on
| the subject may prove invaluable to
coming generations. If the scientists
| theory about clouds being colloids Ia
! correct, the day may come when
| farmer needing rain can go out into
! the field, shoot a stream of electricity
at some passing cloud, and get enuf