A suspension in chemistry is a mixture made up of particles in a fluid. Most of the suspensions you encounter in everyday life consist of solid particles in a liquid, but suspensions could also form from two liquids or even a solid or liquid in a gas. One key way to identify a suspension is that the components can separate over time. The particles do not dissolve in the fluid.
Here are 5 examples of suspensions:
- mercury is shaken in oil
- oil is shaken in the water
- powdered chalk in water
- dust in air
- soot in air
Mixing or shaking needs to occur to form a suspension. Given time, suspensions usually separate on their own.