Colloid Silver
To create colloidal silver, nanoparticles of silver with a purity of 99.99% are sanded down to a size between 5 nm and 100 nm and then suspended in water to form a colloid. Because of the way silver nanoparticles scatter light, the entire solution may be made to take on a specific hue and maintain it. It changes from a pale amber to a cherry red in normal indoor lighting to a vibrant orange in direct sunlight. Even when employed in significant numbers, the known adverse effects of silver, such as Argyria and silver poisoning, are avoided because to the nanoparticles of silver measuring between 5 nm and 20 nm.
Size of a Silver Particle
The dimensions are also critical. Humans, animals, and other multicellular organisms can all safely interact with particles of the colloidal size. Silver colloid can be anything from 5 nm to 100 nm in size. If the particles in the solution are less than 5 nm, the solution acts as a molecular suspension and is hazardous. If the particles are mostly larger than 100nm, they can be deposited as heavy metal in the body, leading to a disorder called argyria (a condition where silver is deposited as a heavy metal and can cause a permanent discoloration). Both extremes—being too little or too big—lead to unfavourable outcomes.
And what about ionic or nanoscale silver?
The size of the silver particles ranges from 5 nm to 100 nm. Colloidal particles have a nanometer (nm) size. If you’re not sure whether or not a silver solution is truly colloidal, you can utilise the Tyndall Effect Test, which involves comparing the strength of the Tyndall effect to the ppm of the solutions.
When silver nanoparticles gain an electric charge, they split into silver ions. For the purposes of this definition, an ion is an atom or group of atoms that has either received one or more electrons, making it negatively charged (an anion), or lost one or more electrons, making it positively charged (a cation) (an anion). A nanoparticle is a cluster of atoms, and a charged nanoparticle is an ion. Because the nanoparticles that make up colloidal silver have an electrical charge, the solution is technically an ionic one.
WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF COLLOIDAL SILVER?
Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are killed by colloidal silver’s powerful antibacterial properties. Its buildup in the bacterial membrane may contribute to this disease. A cell dies when its membrane shape changes to one that dramatically increases its permeability.
Bacteria:
There are four ways in which silver ions can affect bacteria, including both Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains:
Silver ions limit bacterial respiration by interacting with the sulfhydryl (-SH) groups of proteins.
DNA bases are affected by the silver ions. As a result of these interactions, DNA unwinding is slowed down.
Anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effects on bacterial cell membranes are a direct result of silver ion exposure.
The hydrogen bonding pathways in the bacteria are affected by the silver ions.
Virus:
There is a size relationship between silver and viruses. It has been observed that silver ions render some actuator molecules inoperable. An easily explained instance is as follows: A phosphate ‘b’ actuator molecule (an organic actuator molecule that opens and closes an orifice through which a virus injects an RNA strand into a host organism, causing the host to produce new generations of viruses) becomes dysfunctional when silver ions catalyse it, rendering the orifice closed and the virus unable to inject the RNA strand into the host. Since the virus can no longer drive its host to reproduce, its life cycle has been disrupted.
When compared to older studies, modern ones confirm the conclusions of those from the past.
Nano-sized particles of silver were referred to as colloidal silver before 1939. Over 95 uses for colloidal silver were discovered through scientific inquiry, not 650. Silver nanoparticles are currently the subject of extensive study for a wide variety of applications.
This is it; the conclusion has been drawn. Manufacturers of colloidal silver will not produce their product if it does not meet the criteria. Too many producers are manufacturing products that do not match the colloidal description of colloidal silver, leading to widespread confusion regarding the product’s efficacy.
The Tyndall Effect can be used using a colourless solution known as colloidal silver. When the Tyndall Effect is small, the resulting solution is mostly an atomic one with molecular characteristics. The hue should be light amber or yellow at a concentration of about 15 ppm and intensify as the concentration rises, reaching a cherry red if the particles are closer to the 5 nm limit if the Tyndall Effect is strong. As the nanoparticles approach the 100 nm threshold, the colour shifts to a greenish grey.
