What is the difference between suspension and emulsion?
Here are some differences between suspension and emulsion shown in the table:
| Suspension | Emulsion |
| Type of mixture | |
| It’s a heterogeneous mixture with large dispersed particles that settle on stationary surfaces. | It is a heterogeneous mixture of two immiscible (Liquid that will not mix together) liquids. It is a type of colloids and dispersed particle that don’t settle down on standing |
| Particle size | |
| Size of Suspended particles: More than 1000 nm. They could be seen with the naked eye. | Size of Dispersed particles: 1 to 1000 nm. Particles of emulsion could not be seen with the naked eye. |
| Dispersed phase and the Dispersion medium | |
| Solid particles can be dispersed in a solid, gaseous, or liquid media. | Both the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium are liquid phase. |
| Separation of components | |
| Filtration can be used to separate them. | Filtration cannot separate them. |
| Scattering of light | |
| May scatter light or opaque | Demonstrations Tyndall effect |
| Stability | |
| Suspending agents are required for the stability | Emulsifying agents are required for the stability |
| Examples | |
| 1. Sand in water, flour in water | 1. Milk, vanishing cream, butter |
| 2. Combiflam suspension (buprofen and acetaminophen/paracetamol)- (ANALGESIC/ANTIPYRETIC) | 2. Cremaffin Plus Refreshing Flavour Sugar Free Emulsion (A LAXATIVE drug combination) |
Read More:
Tablet Scoring or Splitability study or Breakability Test
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulsion
https://www.britannica.com/science/emulsion-chemistry
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