Light is scattered by colloidal particles dispersed in a transparent medium.

Light is scattered by colloidal particles dispersed in a transparent medium.

• A. Suspension
• B. Colloids
• C. Nonelectrolyte
• D. Tyndall effect

Answer: (D)

The Tyndall effect is the scattering of light by colloidal particles dispersed in a transparent medium. When light passes through a colloid, particles are large enough to scatter the beam, making the path of the light visible (think of a beam through milk or fog). This happens because the particle size is in the range that interacts with visible light, unlike in true solutions where particles are too small to scatter light significantly. Suspensions can also scatter light, but the distinctive, persistent visibility of the beam in a transparent medium with colloidal particles is the hallmark of the Tyndall effect.

The Tyndall effect is the scattering of light by colloidal particles dispersed in a transparent medium. When light passes through a colloid, particles are large enough to scatter the beam, making the path of the light visible (think of a beam through milk or fog). This happens because the particle size is in the range that interacts with visible light, unlike in true solutions where particles are too small to scatter light significantly. Suspensions can also scatter light, but the distinctive, persistent visibility of the beam in a transparent medium with colloidal particles is the hallmark of the Tyndall effect.