Storing Colloids Properly: Light, Glass and Quiet Places

The electric charge that keeps colloidal particles suspended dissipates over time like the charge of a battery. Light and heat accelerate this process, as do electromagnetic fields: refrigerator, microwave, television and Wi-Fi routers are bad neighbours for a colloidal solution. The right place is a cool, dark, quiet spot — expressly not the refrigerator.

Colloids belong in glass — never in plastic, steel or aluminium, whose surfaces disturb the charge or bind particles. Amber glass protects well, genuine Miron violet glass even better: it blocks the entire visible light spectrum and lets only violet and infrared portions pass — a frequency filter made of glass. That is why we bottle every flask by hand in Miron violet glass, even though the bottle alone costs more than many a cheap product’s entire contents.

One rule applies in handling too: never let the solution touch metal — metal can neutralize the charge of the particles. Glass, porcelain or, if need be, plastic are the right companions.

Every colloidal solution knows one warning sign: flakes or sediment. They show that particles have lost their charge and are clumping — usually after too long a storage, light or heat. A fresh, well-stored solution, by contrast, stays clear and even for months.