Paper Suspensions
Most recent answer: 10/22/2007
Q:
Paper is a solid. If I blend it in a blender with water, is it a liquid? A solution? My mom says its a suspension. What is that? Help!!!
- Cena (age 10)
Amerman, Northville
- Cena (age 10)
Amerman, Northville
A:
Cena -
Sounds like your moms got the right idea. What youve got isnt a liquid or a solution, its a suspension. To get a liquid from your solid, youd have to heat the paper up until it melted (hard to do, since itd probably burn first). The difference between a solution and a suspension is a bit trickier.
In a solution, the molecules in the thing youre adding (the solute) actually get mixed up with the molecules of the thing youre adding it to (the solvent). Once theyre mixed, theyre hard to separate without boiling. An example of this would be if you mixed some salt into water. The salt crystals actually break apart into separate atoms and molecules and get mixed up with the water molecules.
In a suspension, the molecules dont actually get mixed up. Its more like theres large-ish chunks (particles) of a solid just floating around in the liquid. If you let it sit for a while, the solid particles will settle to the bottom. An example of this is if you mixed sand with water. The sand wouldnt break down into molecules and mix with the water - it would just float around in it. And eventually, it would settle to the bottom. Paper in water is the same way.
-Tamara
Sounds like your moms got the right idea. What youve got isnt a liquid or a solution, its a suspension. To get a liquid from your solid, youd have to heat the paper up until it melted (hard to do, since itd probably burn first). The difference between a solution and a suspension is a bit trickier.
In a solution, the molecules in the thing youre adding (the solute) actually get mixed up with the molecules of the thing youre adding it to (the solvent). Once theyre mixed, theyre hard to separate without boiling. An example of this would be if you mixed some salt into water. The salt crystals actually break apart into separate atoms and molecules and get mixed up with the water molecules.
In a suspension, the molecules dont actually get mixed up. Its more like theres large-ish chunks (particles) of a solid just floating around in the liquid. If you let it sit for a while, the solid particles will settle to the bottom. An example of this is if you mixed sand with water. The sand wouldnt break down into molecules and mix with the water - it would just float around in it. And eventually, it would settle to the bottom. Paper in water is the same way.
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)