Thanks for the reference Frank, I found this to be a very curious document indeed. Firstly, the conclusion that, "High quality colloids contain a high percentage of silver particles [ by this the authors mean uncharged particles of silver metal ]. Ideally, a silver colloid would contain no ions." does not address the fact that ions are probably the active ingredient of CS.
Of course, if the object of the exercise is to produce a high quality colloid in the literal sense of the word, then the authors may be correct in their conclusions. However if the object is to produce a CS which is most effective in its antiseptic action, then the conclusions drawn are irrelevant, unless a colloid, in its literal sense, fulfils such an outcome. Further... to say that a silver colloid is negatively charged, is only true when certain conditions are met, that is, when the particles of silver are neutral and when there is sufficient numbers of free hydroxyl ions to be adsorbed to the surface the silver metal. Of course, as soon as this tenuous arrangement hits gastric juices, the particle would loose these hydroxyl ions and the silver becomes neutral bits of metal (which they always were really). The paper describes the fact, that in electrolytic CS production 75% to 99% of the silver exists as positively charged ions, the remainder being neutral silver metal particles. There is no mention of partially ionised metal particles, multi-atom particles which have lost one or more electrons. Indeed the whole paper relies on the acceptance that silver colloids should be particles of neutral silver atoms. No mention is made of the fact that the Zeta potential is not strictly a measure of the particle's charge, but of the potential across the slip plane, characterised by the 'drag' of the particle and its attendant hydration layers with the bulk solute, and that Zeta potential can just as easily be a positive number as it can be a negative number, it being the distance that the ZP is from zero which characterises a 'colloids'' stability. The authors also mention that silver ions will ionise water, ie, break it apart into H+ and OH- components (the first time I have ever heard of this) "The negative charge of the hydroxyl ions counters the positive charge of the silver ions and maintains a solution of whose net charge is zero." which completely ignores the positive charge of the H+ ions which must be equal in number to the OH- hydroxyl ions from which they split. It is laudable that the authors set out to right the problem " lay people trying to learn about colloidal silver become confused and have a hard time grasping the science involved..." but in my view the problem is not lessened by this paper. Unfortunately the name 'colloidal' silver when used to describe the common silver solution, brewed and used by many as a germ fighter and steriliser, is describing a system which exists at the boundary between colloids and solutions and which has not been thoroughly studied and is not readily described by classical colloid science. And it is not established at all in this paper, that the classic colloid so described by them is the most desirable. I have written a letter to one of the authors in which I ask : 1. Why is the colloid of metallic silver more desirable than ionic silver? 2. Is there such a variant of silver colloid which is composed of multiple silver atoms of which one or more have lost electrons resulting in a positively charged particle? 3. Is it not more likely that metallic ions are hydrated by successive layers of water molecules arranged such that at the outer layer the positive charge is effectively neutralised, rather than ionising water to hydronium and hydroxyl ions, which would have the effect of making the solution more acidic? 4. You talk of the solubility constant of silver hydroxide in one part of the paper and yet in another explain why silver and hydroxyl ions are not attracted to one another. Is this not inconsistent? 5. Do you know how, and in what form silver is absorbed into the body? Shall report if I receive a reply. Ivan. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Key" <[email protected]> To: "Silver List" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, 26 December 2000 06:00 Subject: CS>Research Paper available > While it is "common knowledge" that the particles in colloidal silver > are positively charged, this research paper provides solid scientific > evidence that shows that the particles are negatively charged while the > ions have a positive charge. > > The title of the paper is titled "Ions, Atoms and Charged Particles" and > is available for download in pdf form at: > > http://www.silver-colloids.com/papers.html > > > -- > The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. > > To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: > [email protected] -or- [email protected] > with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. > > To post, address your message to: [email protected] > Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html > List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]> > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.219 / Virus Database: 103 - Release Date: 05/12/2000
