When formulating a suspension , is your system at the beginning floculated or defloculated and why?
These numbered blurbs are from the references below 1) flocculate: A mass loosely formed by the aggregation of a number of fine suspended particles Aggregates destabilized particles into larger and more easily settleable masses 2) Physical Chemistry For emulsions, flocculation describes clustering of individual dispersed droplets together, whereby the individual droplets do not lose their identity.[3] Flocculation is thus the initial step leading to further aging of the emulsion (droplet coalescence and the ultimate separation of the phases). 3) de?floc?cu?late ? ?/di?fl?ky??le?t/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [dee-flok-yuh-leyt] Show IPA –verb (used with object), -lat?ed, -lat?ing. Physical Chemistry. to reduce from a flocculent state by dispersing the flocculated particles. Putting those three together, you notice you need to deflocculate the stuff you want to put into suspension (ie, break it up into smaller particles by shaking or stirring or maybe some other means) Why? Well in 2) above. it describes flocculation as the beginning of the aging of an emulsion (I think emulsion is the same as a suspension). you are talking about forming a suspension, instead of a suspension separating into its components (flocculation describes the first stage of this process) Deflocculation describes the opposite. so deflocculation is the beginning of forming a suspension.
