Peptization

Name:
Peptization
Detailed information:
Stabilization of hydrophobic colloidal solutions by addition of electrolytes that provide the necessary electric double layer of ionic charges around each particle. Such electrolytes are known as peptizing agents. The ions of the electrolyte are strongly adsorbed on the particle surfaces. Stable solutions of nonionizing substances acquire a charge in contact with water by preferential adsorption of the hydroxyl ions, which may be considered peptizing agents. The term is also loosely applied to the softening or liquefaction of one substance by trace quantities of another, analogous to the digestion of a protein by an enzyme (pepsin).