Canadian Medical Guide > Chemicals and Drugs > Pharmaceutical Preparations > Dosage Forms > Colloids Terms and Definitions

Colloids

Medical Definition:	Two-phase systems in which one is uniformly dispersed in another as particles small enough so they cannot be filtered or will not settle out. The dispersing or continuous phase or medium envelops the particles of the discontinuous phase. All three states of matter can form colloids among each other.
Guide Notes:	IM for general only; NIM with specific drug IM, no qualif
Also Called:	Hydrocolloids

Colloids Categories.

	Aerosols - Colloids with a gaseous dispersing phase and either liquid (fog) or solid (smoke) dispersed phase; used in fumigation or in inhalation therapy; may contain propellent agents.
	Emulsions - Colloids of two immiscible liquids where either phase may be either fatty or aqueous; lipid-in-water emulsions are usually liquid, like milk or lotion and water-in-lipid emulsions tend to be creams.
	Gels - Colloids with a solid continuous phase and liquid as the dispersed phase; gels may be unstable when, due to temperature or other cause, the solid phase liquifies; the resulting colloid is called a sol.
	Suspensions - Colloids with liquid continuous phase and solid dispersed phase; the term is used loosely also for solid-in-gas (AEROSOL) and other colloidal systems; water-insoluble drugs may be given as suspensions.

Colloids Medical Definitions and Terms

CANADIAN MEDICAL GUIDE

Thank you for visiting Canadian Medical Guide .com

Wildlife On Video »

Canada's Great Outdoors
Tour Canadian Rockies »
Book Banff »
Book Jasper »
Maligne Lake Boat Cruise »
Gondola Banff »
Hike Jasper »
Jasper Columbia Icefield »