Introduction to Prepare Colloidal Solution of Egg Albumin
We will be learning about the procedure to experiment on this page. This experiment will help us prepare a colloidal solution of egg albumin. Before getting started, let us look at what a colloid solution/mixture is in Chemistry.
Colloidal Solutions
Colloidal Solutions, known as Colloids, are mixtures where, when looked at microscopically, there is a suspension of highly tiny insoluble particles in another substance.
We cannot assume all mixtures to be colloidal. The mixtures where suspended particles do not settle down at the bottom but still get evenly dispersed into another substance can be known as colloids.
We can Classify these Sols Into Two Different Types
Lyophobic Sols: These are 'liquid hating' sols that get very little or no interaction with the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium. The dispersed phase in this sol has a slight affinity for the dispersion medium.
Lyophilic Sols: These are the 'liquid loving' sols that attract solvents. Here, the colloidal solution firmly attaches to the dispersed medium and phase.
In the case of the egg albumin that is obtained from eggs, these albumins form a lyophilic sol with cold water. This sol is not affected by any traces of impurities and is stable.
Now, after learning about this concept, let us proceed with the actual procedure in theory:
Aim
The aim is to prepare a colloidal solution (lyophilic sol) of egg albumin
Theory
Lyophilic sol is obtainable from the egg albumin present in the eggs. When we mix the egg's albumin with cold water, we obtain lyophilic sol.
This sol is stable and generally not affected by its impurities.
Egg Albumin's formula is C16H26O5.
Required Apparatus Includes
Beakers (250 ml and 50 ml)
Glass rod
Funnel
Filter paper
Tripod stand
Burner
Distilled water
Wire gauze
Soluble starch (500 ml)
pestle and mortar
Porcelain dish
Procedure
The first step is to break down the outer shell of the particular egg with the help of the glass rod from our Apparatus.
Color the colorless liquid (albumin water) and the yellow part and decant the colorless liquid into another beaker.
In the beaker of 250mL, prepare 100mL of the NaCl solution of 5% (w/v).
Pipette on the albumin and start pouring it into the beaker that contains sodium chloride solution. Mix this by constantly stirring for 15 to 20 minutes, ensuring that the sol is prepared well and egg albumins in water forms.
Hence, filter the contents of the beaker with the help of filter paper, a funnel, and a label to filtrate as much as possible.
Precautions
The Apparatus should be adequately cleaned for conducting these experiments.
Now separate the egg albumin water and the yellow yolk before mixing it with sodium chloride solution.
After this, we have to stir the mixture constantly in the beaker and also add the egg albumin to prepare our egg albumin sol.
We will have to make sure that the preparation of egg albumin sol is done at room temperature because the precipitation of the egg albumin will take place in a hot solution.
We should use distilled water to prepare the egg albumin sol. (Colloid is formed in the water when there is a presence of Egg albumin in it)
More About the Colloidal Solution of Egg Albumin
In this article, we will discuss the procedure to perform an experiment that will help us understand how to prepare a colloidal solution of Egg albumin. Before starting the experiment let’s first understand What is a colloid mixture or colloidal solution in Chemistry?
Colloidal solutions or Colloids are the mixtures in which microscopically insoluble particles of one substance are suspended in another substance. Not all the mixtures are colloids. The mixture where suspended particles don’t settle down at the bottom but get evenly dispersed into another substance. The size of the colloids ranges from 1 nm to 1000 nm. One important class of colloidal systems is sols. In sols, the dispersed phase is a solid medium, and the dispersion medium is liquid in the state, and depending upon the nature of the interaction between the dispersed phase and dispersion medium sols can be broadly classified into two types.
Lyophilic Sols: The term lyophilic means ‘liquid-loving’ or ‘solvent- attracting’, which means in this colloidal solution there is a strong affinity towards the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium.
Lyophobic sols: The term lyophobic means ‘liquid-hating’, which means in these sols, there is little or no interaction between the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium i.e., a dispersed phase has little affinity for dispersion medium.
Egg albumin obtained from eggs form a lyophilic sol with cold water. The sol is stable in nature and not affected by the presence of traces of impurities. Now let’s discuss the procedure.
Additional Information
The standard method we can classify a colloid is based on the phase at which our substance disperses and our dispersion medium. Some colloids are emulsion, sol, gel, foam, and aerosol.
Sol is a colloidal system. In this system, the dispersed phase is solid, whereas the dispersed medium is liquid—for example, Paint, Mud, Blood, Ink.
An emulsion can be defined as a colloidal system in which the dispersion phase is liquid. The dispersion medium is also a liquid—for example, Salad Dressing, Brewed Coffee, Milk.
Foam is another type of colloidal system where we observe that the dispersed phase is gas, and the dispersion medium is solid or liquid—for example, Whipped Cream, Bubble Bath, Fire Retardant.
Aerosol is a colloidal system with the dispersed phase being a liquid or solid. The dispersion medium is gas—for example, Perfume, Hairspray, Mist, Fog.
The gel is a colloidal system with a solid dispersion phase and a liquid dispersion medium—for example, Cheese, Jam, Rubber, Gelatin, Toothpaste.
FAQs on To Prepare Colloidal Solution of Egg Albumin
1. Mayer’s albumin preparation contains the following except-
a) Sodium Chloride
b) Glycerine
c) Thymol
d) Egg white
Option (a) Sodium Chloride.
Mayer’s albumin preparation does not contain Sodium Chloride.
2. How do you differentiate between egg yolk and egg albumin?
The yellow color present in the egg is called egg yolk. It gets its color from plant pigments in the hen’s food and are made primarily of fats, proteins, and essential nutrients. On the other hand, the colorless liquid present in the egg is called egg albumin, It forms around the yolk later and provides cushioning to the embryo and the protective shell.
3. What is the difference between lyophilic sols and lyophobic sols?
In Lyophilic sols, there is a strong attraction between the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium. i.e., the dispersed phase has a great affinity for the dispersion medium and is reversible. If water is used as the dispersion medium then lyophilic sols are called hydrophilic sols. Eg: Starch, gum, gelatin, starch, proteins, rubber, egg albumin, etc.
In lyophobic sols, there is very little or no interaction between the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium i.e, a dispersed phase has no affinity towards the dispersion medium and is irreversible. If water is used as the dispersion medium, then lyophobic sols are called hydrophobic sols. Eg: metal hydroxides and metal sulfides, etc.
4. Write some methods of purification of colloids.
The colloidal solutions obtained from various preparation methods are not pure. The impurities present in colloids are suspended particles and electrolytes. The presence of electrolytes in a smaller concentration stabilizes a sol but their presence in a higher concentration destabilizes it. So it is necessary to purify the colloidal solution by removing the electrolyte impurities present in them. Some methods used commonly for the purification of colloids are:
Dialysis
Electrodialysis
Ultra-filtration
Ultra-centrifugation
5. What exactly is an Albumin?
The term Albumin refers to the abundant protein found in egg whites. Sometimes we confuse this term with AlbumenAlbumen, the name given to the egg whites themselves.
In other words, Albumin is a group of proteins found in an egg white or other mixtures like milk, blood, and animal tissues. It has the most significant amount of proteins found in any part of the egg whites and even the blood plasma of a healthy human being.
They dissolve in water to form a semi-solid mass when heated, and this is why egg whites turn into a solid white when cooked.
6. How do we differentiate between the Egg Albumin and Egg Yolk in a solution?
The most significant difference, through which we can identify the egg albumin and the egg yolk, is that an Egg Yolk in the solution has a yellow colour. In contrast, Egg Albumin is the colourless liquid present in that solution. The Albumen is the white part that is primarily a protein with water.
On the other hand, the yolk is the yellow and spherical element of the egg surrounded by the said white Albumin. It serves as the nutrients consumed by the future young.
7. How do we extract the Egg Albumin from a mixture of egg yolk and egg albumin?
The most crucial step in the entire process is definitely separating the egg albumin from egg yolk and an egg albumin mixture. After doing this, we proceed to carefully break the given egg’s eggshell into a porcelain dish and pipette the colorless egg albumin out of the mixture.
While working in a laboratory, we use a Pipette, which is a narrow tube we use to measure and move small amounts of liquids.
8. What is the difference between an Albumin and an Albumin?
Albumin is the primary protein found in the whites of an egg. Sometimes we confuse this term with the Albumen, the name given to the egg whites themselves. These albumens are themselves a solution made up of proteins and water.
In science, we often use these two terms interchangeably, but knowing the difference is also vital when we perform an experiment where these two are involved.
The Albumen and the Albumin perform many essential functions inside an egg. They provide protein to the growing chick and protect it from different microorganisms.
When human beings consume eggs, egg albumen is described as the protein part of the egg in whole. It contains all the essential amino acids that are needed by human beings to remain healthy. It also helps us with digestion, especially when we consume cooked foods.
9. Is there an example where we observe egg albumin in real life?
The most commonly known example of observing this part of the egg is when we use it for different recipes. Whipping an egg gives us a stable foam. This foam is nothing but unfolded proteins that rearrange themselves to layer around the air cells that were once present inside the egg.
When we heat this foam, the air cells expand and give us that excellent texture for a whipped cream that we commonly use for baked recipes like cakes, cupcakes, and many more.
10. Where do we find Albumin in Human Beings?
Albumin is mostly found in our blood and the milk we consume.
If we observe the milk we consume, we can discover Albumin as lactalbumin.
Albumin is usually produced by our liver's blood in human beings. Its primary function is to help us maintain a proper colloidal osmotic pressure that prevents the plasma in our blood from being lost.
It also plays a vital role in carrying and transporting several molecules through our body like fatty acids, calcium, hormones, and drugs.
