A state of matter similar to a suspension (insoluble particles of a substance suspended in a liquid). Particles in a suspension are large and heavy enough to be separated from the liquid in a centrifuge. A colloid has smaller, lighter particles that can only be separated out of a liquid by spinning at a very high speed. In medicine, plasma proteins are separated from blood and used in colloid preparations to treat shock. Colloid also refers to the proteincontaining material in the thyroid gland.
Colloid |
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