Emulsion
A suspension of small globules of one liquid in a second liquid with which the first will not mix
Properties
Interface
Emulsions are made up of a dispersed and a continuous phase; the boundary between these
phases is called the interface.
Appearance
Emulsions tend to have a cloudy appearance, because the many phase interfaces scatter light that
passes through the emulsion. Emulsions are unstable and thus do not form spontaneously. The
basic color of emulsions is white.
Tyndall effect
If the emulsion is dilute, the Tyndall effect will scatter the light and distort the color to blue; if it
is concentrated, the color will be distorted towards yellow. This phenomenon is easily observable
on comparing skimmed milk (with no or little fat) to cream (high concentration of milk fat).
Microemulsions and nanoemulsions tend to appear clear due to the small size of the disperse
phase.
Phase inversion.
Whether an emulsion turns into a water-in-oil emulsion or an oil-in-water emulsion depends on
the volume fraction of both phases and on the type of emulsifier. Generally, the Bancroft rule
applies: emulsifiers and emulsifying particles tend to promote dispersion of the phase in which
they do not dissolve very well; for example, proteins dissolve better in water than in oil and so
tend to form oil-in-water emulsions (that is they promote the dispersion of oil droplets
throughout a continuous phase of water).
Emulsifier
An emulsifier (also known as an emulgent) is a substance which stabilizes an emulsion by
increasing its kinetic stability. One class of emulsifiers is known as surface active substances, or
surfactants. Examples of food emulsifiers are egg yolk (where the main emulsifying chemical is
lecithin), honey, and mustard, where a variety of chemicals in the mucilage surrounding the seed
hull act as emulsifiers; proteins and low-molecular weight emulsifiers are common as well. Soy
lecithin is another emulsifier and thickener. In some cases, particles can stabilize emulsions as
well through a mechanism called Pickering stabilization. Both mayonnaise and Hollandaise
sauce are oil-in-water emulsions that are stabilized with egg yolk lecithin or other types of food
additives such as Sodium stearoyl lactylate.
Detergents are another class of surfactant, and will physically interact with both oil and water,
thus stabilizing the interface between oil or water droplets in suspension. This principle is
exploited in soap to remove grease for the purpose of cleaning. A wide variety of emulsifiers are
used in pharmacy to prepare emulsions such as creams and lotions. Common examples include
emulsifying wax, cetearyl alcohol, polysorbate 20, and ceteareth 20.[9] Sometimes the inner phase
itself can act as an emulsifier, and the result is nanoemulsion - the inner state disperses into
nano-size droplets within the outer phase. A well-known example of this phenomenon, the ouzo
effect, happens when water is poured in a strong alcoholic anise-based beverage, such as ouzo,
pastis, arak or raki. The anisolic compounds, which are soluble in ethanol, now form nano-sized
droplets and emulgate within the water. The colour of such diluted drink is opaque and milky.
Instability
flocculation
Flocculation describes the process by which the dispersed phase come out of suspension in
flakes
creaming, Emulsions can also undergo creaming, the migration of one of the substances to the
top (or the bottom, depending on the relative densities of the two phases) of the emulsion under
the influence of buoyancy or centripetal force when a centrifuge is used.
coalescence
The formation of a film of resinous or polymeric material when water evaporates from an
emulsion or latex system, permitting contact and fusion of adjacent latex particles.
Uses
Uses
Emulsions are mainly used in many major chemical industries. In the pharmaceutical industry,
they are used to make medicines that are more tasty, to improve value by controlling the amount
of active ingredients. The most popular emulsions are Non-ionic one because they have low
toxicity. Cationic emulsions are also used in some products because their antimicrobial
properties. Antimicrobial is a substance that kills or avoids the growth of microorganisms such
as fungi and bacteria. Emulsions are also used in the making many hair and skin products such as
of various types of oils and waxes.