Question

Give four uses of emulsions.

Answer 1

Hint: Many functional chemical ingredients (such as drugs) are not water soluble and require alcohol or other organic solvents to form solutions. With the help of emulsification, these materials can be diluted to an appropriate level.

Complete step by step solution:

A colloidal solution having both the dispersion medium and dispersed phase are in liquid state is called an Emulsion.

1. Emulsions are widely used in most of the major chemical industries. Pharmaceutical industries use it to make medicines more palatable and to improve overall effectiveness by controlling dosage of active ingredients. They are also used to provide improved aesthetics for topical drugs such as ointments.

2. In the agricultural industry, emulsions are commonly used as delivery vehicles for biocides like fungicides, insecticides and pesticides. These biocides are usually insoluble in water and must be applied to crops at very low levels. Usually they are applied by spraying through mechanical equipment. Emulsion technology allows to dilute these chemicals effectively and provides increased spray ability.

3. In the cosmetics industry also, emulsions are used as a delivery vehicle for many hair and skin conditioning agents. Different types of emulsions are used to deliver various oils and waxes which provide smoothness, moisturization, and softness to hair and skin.

4. Many paints and inks are based on the concept of emulsions. Such products may be true liquid-in-liquid emulsions. With the help of emulsification, these products are designed to dry quickly and form waterproof films, while not affecting the color.

Note: Emulsions are of two types- Oil in water and Water in oil. Some of the most common examples of emulsion which we use in our daily life are milk, hair foam, egg yolk, mayonnaise, butter etc.