emulsions- types of emulsions

The mixture of immiscible liquids (principally two) is called an emulsion. It is the unique combination of the liquids that generally do not mix. The origin of this word can be traced to the Latin word with the meaning “to milk.” The method of changing a combination of liquid to an emulsion is called emulsification. The liquids used in the emulsion might have a transparent or clear property, but they might appear blurred, hazy, or tinted.

Characteristics of Emulsions

The emulsions are hazy because they have the light scattered off among the particles in the mixture. When the light is distributed equally, they emerge as white. More than often, the visible properties of emulsion are that of the Brownian movement, electrophoresis, Tyndall effect, etc. The particles scattered in are bigger than the size of the particles in the solutions. As it is known, the interface is the boundary that comes in between the immiscible  liquid phases as contained in the mixture.

Formation and Stabilisation:

Emulsions are created either naturally or mechanically (deliberately), which is the case often. Numerous creatures generate emulsions. They have generated artificially through agitation with the condition of liquids being insoluble with each other. Emulsifiers are the primary agents used for the production process, and they usually determine the type of emulsion that is hence formed.

Agents are required to stabilise the emulsions, such as soap molecules or bentonite. The liquids aren’t stable while the collision splits up into their original form, leaving them unstable. The already stable ones are destroyed for various reasons, and that is done through demolishing or tearing down the emulsifier or the emulsifying agent. The demolition process includes the addition of a new substance or the heating or freezing of the already existing mixture.

Emulsification

The reduction of the interfacial surface tension among the liquids leads to emulsification. The emulsifying agent could develop a film upon one phase of the combination to grow the globules that resist each other, accepting them to stay equally suspended.

To put it another way, emulsifying is the process of forcing two immiscible liquids, such as oil and water, to join in a suspension and produce a uniform, homogeneous solution. Even though oil and water cannot interact, we can break oil down into teeny-tiny droplets that can float in water. When minute droplets of one solution are spread across another, the result is an emulsion.

Types of Emulsion

Largely the emulsions we come across every day are artificial. The primary purpose is the transfer of water-insoluble matters in a static and thinly scattered form. The emulsion type is related to the phase in which the emulsifying agent is positioned. Different liquids can form various types of emulsions. The emulsifiers are soluble in oil and dissoluble in water. They are involved in the production of emulsification.

The oil-soluble emulsifiers are used in the water emulsions, and polar and water-soluble emulsifiers are used in the oil-based emulsions. When the oil part is polar enough, the emulsifying agent is hydrophilic. Still, if the oil part of the emulsifying agent is less polar, the emulsifier becomes lipophilic rather than hydrophilic. 

Oil and water, both major emulsifiers, can create many combinations through the emulsification process. These combinations are oil-in-water emulsions, water-in-oil emulsions, water–in–oil–in–water emulsions, and finally oil-in-water-in-oil emulsions. These emulsions are the mixtures of the two liquids, one of them being the dispersed phase and the other being the dispersion medium.

Oil-in-Water

This is the type of emulsion in which the oil is scattered, and the water is the scattering medium, for instance- milk. Here, the emulsifiers are more emulsifiable in water rather than oil. Oil-in-water emulsions have positive results in the conductivity test, for water is a good conductor of electricity.

Water-in-Oil

This is the type of emulsion in which the water is the scattered part, and the oil is the scattering medium, for instance- butter or cream. Here, the emulsifiers are more emulsifiable in oil rather than water. Water-in-oil emulsions have negative results for the conductivity test, for oil is a poor conductor of electricity.

Conclusion

Emulsions are regarded as very imperative in day-to-day life and chores. Large numbers of items such as food, cosmetics, and like result from different types of emulsions, for example- shampoos, butter, cream, milk, and furthermore. Emulsions are utilised to produce products that serve as the base elements for paints and glues and alike. The above article gives us a deep understanding of what emulsion is, its characteristics, its formation and stabilisation, information about the process of emulsification, emulsifying agents, and the types of emulsion