Solutions, Colloids & Emulsions

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So, do micelles dissolve in water? Well, micelles are not molecules but rather supramolecular assemblies composed of many distinct molecules. A glucose solution consists of isolated glucose molecules but micelles in solution consist of larger molecular aggregates. Solutions of macromolecular solutes are called colloids. These particles can be aggregates of molecules (like micelles), atoms (nanoparticles), or larger macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids), among others. When these particles are on the order of the wavelength of visible light, they scatter the light; smaller objects do not. This is why a salt or sugar solution is translucent, whereas a colloidal dispersion of micelles or cells is cloudy.¹²⁰ This principle also explains why soap solutions are typically cloudy—they contain particles large enough to scatter the light. When the particles in a solution maintain the structure of a solid, the end result is known as a colloid. The colloid is stable because the thermal movements of these small, solid particles are suspended. As the particles get larger, the colloid becomes unstable; the influence of gravity overcomes the effects of thermal motion and the particles settle out. Before they settle out, such unstable systems are known as suspension

But if the suspended particles are liquid, the system is known as an emulsion. For example, if we looked at a salad dressing made of oil and water under a microscope, we would see drops of oil suspended in water. Emulsions are often unstable, and over time the two liquid phases separate. This is why you have to shake up salad dressing just before using it. There are many colloids and emulsions in the world around us. Milk, for example, is an emulsion of fat globules and a colloid of protein (casein) micelles.

References

¹²⁰ It is often possible to track the passage of a beam of light through such a solution, known as the Tyndall effect.