Technical Questions

What exactly is colloidal gold?

Mesogold® is a clear reddish colored liquid that looks like light colored cranberry juice. It is the very high concentration ogold particles that gives Mesogold its distinctive coloration. Mesogold consists of 99.99% pure gold mesoparticles suspended in pure deionized water. The actual size of the gold mesoparticles has been measured to have a mean diameter of .65 nm and is estimated to contain about 9 gold atoms. This is uncommonly small compared with the size of particles found in other commercially available colloidal gold products.The small size of the gold particles is confirmed by the use of a state-of-the-art scientific instrument designed specifically for measuring such small particles called a Photon Correlation Spectrometer (PCS). The PCS used during the development of Mesosilver® was manufactured by Malvern Instruments, Ltd. of the United Kingdom, one of the foremost producers of such equipment in the world. The particle size report from the Malvern PCS confirms the claimed size of 65 nm for Mesogold. The gold content of Mesogold is 100% contained in the particles. There are no gold ions in Mesogold.

What exactly is colloidal silver?

Mesosilver® is a clear brown colored liquid that looks like dark iced tea. It is the very high concentration of Mesosilver particles that gives Mesosilver its distinctive coloration. Previously, it was thought that such a brown color indicated the presence of large silver particles, which is the case for colloidal silver produced by methods other than the mesoprocess. The small size of the silver particles is confirmed by the use of a state-of-the-art scientific instrument designed specifically for measuring such small particles called a Photon Correlation Spectrometer (PCS). The PCS used during the development of Mesosilver was manufactured by Malvern Instruments, Ltd. of the United Kingdom, one of the foremost producers of such equipment in the world. The particle size report from the Malvern PCS confirms the claimed size of .65 nm for Mesosilver. The total content is expressed as milligrams of silver per liter (mg/L) of water which is numerically the same as parts per million (ppm) The total silver content is divided into two forms of silver, ionic silver and silver particles.

What is Ionic Gold?

Beware Fool's (Ionic) Gold Not all gold supplements are the same---but it's not just a matter of which is the best, it's knowing that some are actually harmful. What you need to be aware of is ionic gold, a product often made with toxic ingredients.

So what do you need to know about ionic gold vs. colloidal gold?

Colloidal Gold is pure---non charged, or neutral---gold particles suspended in water.

Ionic Gold is made up of a salt dissolved in water. This means:

It is a product that contains more than just gold.

It's made using a gold salt -The most common (read: cheap) gold salt used is gold chloride, or Chlorauric Acid, which is toxic.

Gold Chloride makes an gold solution of gold cations and chlorine anions, and this is the most common form of ionic gold sold.

How Do Ions Work?

Charged particles, or ions, can be either anions (negative charge) or cations (positive charge). Anions have "extra" electrons, while cations have room for more electrons.

When anions and cations come together, they can "share" electrons---this means they are "bonded" together (attracted to each other), and they form a type of compound called a salt.

Using A Salt To Form Ionic Gold Solutions

Lies On The Label

Not all salts are water soluble. This is really important---many manufacturers of ionic gold products will make the claim that they are using gold hydroxide. Gold hydroxide is NOT water soluble, so any manufacturing claiming they have an ionic gold solution using gold hydroxide is blatantly lying! (See other lies Ionic Silver manufacturers are making).

Testing has shown that these products are actually using gold chloride, or chlorauric acid. This is a known toxin (check google for its Material Safety Data Sheet, which informs you to seek medical attention if you ingest gold chloride, it's a "severe irritant" and can cause burns!).

Ionic gold manufacturers omit gold chloride from the label (no, that isn't legal) because they know it's toxic. So buyer beware.

Making Ionic Gold

Making ionic gold is as simple as dissolving a gold salt in water. This is the same level of difficulty as dissolving table salt in water. (There's also a more complex way to make it, but the result is the same).

To get a gold solution, you have to have a salt. Regular gold, or metallic gold (with no charge) can't dissolve in water---that's why colloidal gold is a "suspension" of gold in water. And colloidal gold can NOT be made as simply as ionic gold!

Gold cations are missing three electrons, (electrons have a negative charge), leaving it with a positive charge. You might see this written as either Au+3 or Gold (III). This charge makes gold water soluble.

A gold cation requires the presence of anions to dissolve, so that the solution has a net charge of zero (or neutral). A salt provides both a gold cation, and a corresponding anion.

A Lazier Ingredient

Why is gold chloride so often used? It's easy to get/make (which means that it's also cheaper). That's unfortunate, but it's true---there are dishonest manufacturers out there. If ionic gold manufacturers don't directly lie on the label, they'll likely lie by omission, not labeling which gold salt they used. Since gold chloride is the most common/easy gold salt, it's the most common used (and if it's not on the label, gold chloride is a safe assumption).

All ionic gold products tested by the Colloidal Science Laboratory, Inc., have been made with gold chloride. (It's possible to make ionic gold using a different, safer salt, but not as convenient. In theory there could be an ionic gold product out there that does, but we haven't seen it!).

Gold Chloride Ionic Gold Solution

The gold chloride dissolves into a gold cation, and a chlorine anion.

That gold ion "wants" those missing electrons back. That means that when it finds something with extra electrons, like the chloride ion, it will form a compound. Metallic (neutral) gold won't do this, it already has a full set of electrons.

If you evaporate the water from an ionic gold solution, you'll be left with the original salt. If, instead, you introduce it to a more complex environment, the gold and chlorine might find other ions to form compounds with...

How Can You Tell If It's Gold Chloride? This Do It Yourself Test...

Most people don't have access to a lab with expensive machines that can tell you what atoms are present.

But there is a way you can test to see if an ionic gold solution is made with gold chloride at home, you just need to have some silver nitrate solution (1%) (silver nitrate is a chemical used to develop photos).

(This test assumes that we already know gold is present)

Put your ionic gold solution in a clear glass.

Add a drop of 1% silver nitrate solution.

Does a white cloud form? Chloride is present. (So Gold Chloride was used)

What happened? Silver nitrate is a silver salt solution. When mixed with a solution containing chlorine ions, silver ions and chlorine ions will get together to form silver chloride. Silver chloride is not water soluble, so it "falls out" of solution (you see this as the white cloud).

False Claims About Colloidal Gold

You might see ionic gold companies saying it's ionic gold that's safe and colloidal gold that's dangerous. They don't have anything to back up their claims, but you do!

Google's your friend! You can google the Material Safety Data Sheet for Gold Chloride (Chlorauric Acid), or for metallic, "neutral" gold, you can google for studies on nano gold (the type of gold we use in our colloidal gold supplements---just beware people slyly using "nano gold" and "ionic gold" interchangeably---read carefully!).

Why Choose Colloidal Gold?

Ionic Gold will form compounds as soon as it meets other ions.

Gold Chloride used to make Ionic Gold is potentially dangerous to consume.

Most Ionic Gold products aren't clearly labeled, often because they use toxic gold chloride.

MesoGold colloidal gold uses metallic gold, which is safe to consume according to its Material Safety Data Sheet.

MesoGold is a true colloidal gold, and is a high quality supplement that uses nano sized gold particles.

MesoGold contains NO gold ions.

What do producers of Ionic Gold solutions falsely claim?

Bogus Scientific Claims Made By Producers of Ionic Gold Solutions

The statements in bold are from an internet ad for Ionic Gold, an ionic gold solution produced by WaterOz and sold on the kormax.com website.

"Ionic gold at wholesale prices. 99.9999% pure liquid ionic gold in the form of gold hydroxide. A nearly 100% absorbable and 100% bioavailable form of gold. Hypoallergenic."

". . .pure liquid ionic gold in the form of gold hydroxide..." While the product is called Ionic Gold and it really is an ionic gold solution, the ad states that the anion is hydroxide. For this statement to be true gold hydroxide would have to be a water soluble salt of gold, which it is not. Gold hydroxide is not water soluble, meaning it does not dissolve in water. All hydroxides are insoluble EXCEPT those of ammonium, barium and alkali metal (Group I) cations. This misleading information is attempting to obscure the true nature of the anion content of this product. Laboratory testing by the Colloidal Science Laboratory, Inc. has determined that the anion is really chloride, which means this product is really gold chloride, not gold hydroxide.

"99.9999% pure" is stating the purity at six nines or .999999 purity. The technology to refine gold to six nines purity does not exist. If it did, the cost would be 100 to 500 greater than four nines purity (.9999) which is the industry accepted level of purity for such products.

The manufacturer (WaterOz) has confirmed that the metal purity used to produce their product is really three nines (0.999), but this does not deter the sales company from advertising six nines purity, obviously a complete fabrication.

"Metallic gold is toxic to humans, so true colloidal gold should never be consumed. Only ionic gold in liquid solution (or chelated colloidal gold) is safe for human consumption."

Metallic (colloidal) gold has a history of safe use in human medicine for well over one hundred years. There has never been a single report of toxicity from colloidal gold. A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for colloidal gold indicates it is totally non-toxic, unlike gold chloride (ionic gold) whose MSDS indicates the substance is potentially dangerous to humans.

Given the total fabrication of claims in these ads, one could easily call into question any product claim made by this advertiser.

These products have not been tested or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure any disease.

Colloids For Life makes no claims or promises as to health benefits of its dietary/health supplements. All research information is provided as a courtesy to our customers. Consequences of dietary, topical or other use of any product is the sole responsibility of the customer. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us at our help desk.

True Colloidal Gold Products That Can Help You Live A Healthier Life

When browsing through the many different colloidal gold, silver products available today, you may be asking yourself “What is colloidal silver?” To get a better understanding of what really is colloidal silver and what it can do for you, it is helpful to know what a mineral colloid is.

A mineral colloid is a supplement that is capable of providing the body with certain minerals that help you maintain an optimum level of health. Minerals are able to help the body build soft tissue and other essential life-sustaining elements in your body

Silver has been used since the 19th century to help benefit the body. In the years prior to 1938, colloidal silver products were commonly used by doctors as an antibiotic treatment. Since production of these products was typically expensive, however, the pharmaceutical companies stopped producing these products and moved on to others that were more lucrative to produce.

What is Ionic Silver?

The Truth About Ionic Silver

Most products claiming to be colloidal silver are in fact mostly ionic silver solutions. Notice how many products advertised as colloidal silver even mention the words ionic silver in their literature or specify what percentage of the total silver in their product is silver ions vs. silver particles. They don't bother to tell you that their product is mostly ionic silver, not silver particles. The fact is, most such products only contain between 1% to 20% (10% typical) of their silver content in the form of silver particles with the majority 80% to 99% in the form of ionic silver.

Why is this important?

Because a true silver colloid consists of silver particles, not ions. Colloidal silver is commonly ingested to kill bacteria and other pathogens. Inside the human body ionic silver quickly changes to silver chloride which has no ability to kill pathogens. Only the silver particles can survive inside the body to kill bacteria and pathogens.

What is ionic silver?

Ionic silver is not the same as metallic silver. For example, metallic silver is not water soluble (does not dissolve in water) but ionic silver is water soluble (it does dissolve in water). Technically speaking, a silver ion is an atom of silver that is missing one electron. It is the outermost electrons of an atom that determine the physical properties of matter. Take away one electron from a silver atom and you get a silver ion which is water soluble. In its ionic form, silver is highly reactive with other elements which means it will readily combine to form compounds. For those who are interested in the more technical aspects, see the Technical FAQ for answers to common questions about ionic silver.

What is important to know about silver chloride?

Silver chloride is a compound that is formed when silver ions combine with chloride ions. It is an insoluble compound, which means once it is formed in the human body, it remains as a compound and does not dissolve. The human body is filled with an enormous amount of chloride ions, in fact chloride is the single most prominent anion in the human body owing to high levels of sodium and potassium chloride. Silver ions and chloride ions have such a strong attraction for each other that it is almost impossible to keep them apart. Once they find each other they form the silver chloride compound. Because ionic silver forms silver chloride inside the human body it cannot exist as a ionic silver for more than a few seconds. This means that the ionic silver content of colloidal silver products will turn into silver chloride once inside the body leaving only the metallic silver particles to circulate in the blood stream to kill pathogens. Silver chloride has no antibacterial properties; it is a useless waste product which the body expels.

What about silver particles?

Metallic silver particles are unaffected by chloride ions and will circulate in the bloodstream where they work their magic and kill pathogens they encounter. The particles will slowly be eliminated from the body and do not build up. Since it is the particles that do the important work of killing bacteria and other pathogens, it is important to know how much of the colloidal silver product is in the form of particles.

How to determine how much of the products is actually silver particles.

A typical colloidal silver product that is 10 ppm (parts per million) of total silver has 90% of the silver in ionic form and only 10% in particle form. That means you are getting only 1 ppm of silver particles in a product advertised as 10 ppm. That is assuming 10% particles. The products that are only 1% particles, would yield only 0.1 ppm of particles. It is easy to see that for the greatest effectiveness you want to look for a product that has most of the silver content in the form of particles not ions.

How can you tell looking at the product if it is mostly ionic silver?

Colloidal silver that is mostly ionic silver looks just like water. It is clear because silver that is dissolved in water looks just like sugar or salt that is dissolved in water; it looks just like water. Colloidal silver that has a high concentration of silver particles does not look like water because silver particles, even very small particles block light from passing through, making the liquid appear darker. The producers of ionic silver solution will tell you that colloidal silver should look like water. That is because that is what their product looks like. They just don't know how to make a true colloid.

Why are some many products mostly ionic silver?

Because ionic is silver is very simple to make. So simple, in fact, a child can do it. All it takes to make ionic silver is a nine-volt battery and some silver wire. It is simplicity in the extreme. Most producers do not use a nine-volt battery, but a high voltage AC source because it makes a more stable ionic solution. The high voltage AC product is just as simple to make, but takes a little more equipment. In either case, the process is a form of electrolysis. The electrolysis process produces mostly ionic silver and is the process by which the vast majority of companies are producing what they call colloidal silver, but in fact it is mostly an ionic silver solution. It is just like calling a drink orange juice when it only contains 10% real orange juice and 90% something else. Regardless of claims made to contrary, if the product is made by electrolysis, it not a true colloid, it is mostly ionic silver. By comparison a true colloid has a high concentration of particles and little or no ionic silver. To make a true colloid is difficult in the extreme. That is why there are so many ionic silver products and only one Mesosilver. Remember, if it looks like water, it is ionic silver, not a true colloidal silver.

Bogus scientific claims made by producers of ionic silver solutions.

Our colloidal mineral supplements are a flavorless liquid that can be added with food or drink for easy consumption. The three primary means for introducing colloidal silver to the human body are: ingestion, nebulization and inhalation, and topical application.

Colloidal Silver Products Can Help You Live A Healthier Life When browsing through the many different colloidal silver products available today, you may be asking yourself “What is colloidal silver?” To get a better understanding of what really is colloidal silver and what it can do for you, it is helpful to know what a mineral colloid is.

A mineral colloid is a supplement that is capable of providing the body with certain minerals that help you maintain an optimum level of health. Minerals are able to help the body build soft tissue and other essential life-sustaining elements in your body

Silver has been used since the 19th century to help benefit the body. In the years prior to 1938, colloidal silver products were commonly used by doctors as an antibiotic treatment. Since production of these products was typically expensive, however, the pharmaceutical companies stopped producing these products and moved on to others that were more lucrative to produce.

What do producers of Ionic Silver solutions falsely claim?

Bogus Scientific Claims Made By Producers of Ionic Silver Solutions

The statements in bold are from an article titled "What Exactly is Ultra Pure Colloidal Silver" by Marvin Robey.

"... what is this "silver ion?" Well, it's really more commonly known as "colloidal silver". Simply put, it is extremely minute-sized silver particles suspended in water, with a positive electrical charge."

Here the writer is claiming that "colloidal silver" consists of silver ions. This writer is either confused or trying to confuse the reader with the notion that a silver ion is a particle of silver. It is common for producers of ionic silver solutions to interchangeably use the terms silver particles and ions in an attempt to blur the distinction between these two entirely different entities. Ions and particles are dramatically different entities and the terms are not interchangeable.

Silver ions are not particles of metallic silver. Silver particles consist of two or more silver atoms clustered together. Silver particles have the physical properties of metallic silver. Silver ions do not have the physical properties of metallic silver. A silver ion is a single atom of silver that is missing one orbital electron. Since it is the outermost orbital electrons of atoms that determine the physical properties of matter, the missing electron causes dramatic changes in the physical properties. For example, metallic silver is not water soluble (does not dissolve in water) but a silver ion is water soluble and cannot exist without the water or some other solvent being present. Because the physical properties of silver particles and silver ions are so dramatically different the terms cannot be used interchangeably.

When discussing metal colloids such as colloidal silver, the term colloid means silver particles in suspension not silver ions in solution.

"The best colloidal silver is produced at the molecular level."

Here the writer is attempting to sound scientific but is actually describing something that scientifically does not exist. Silver is an element; the smallest form of elemental matter is the atom. A molecule is a term used to describe the smallest form of a compound, not an element. A compound is formed by combining two or more elements. There are no silver molecules, only silver atoms. For example, silver chloride is a compound. One molecule of silver chloride is formed when a single silver ion combines with a single chloride ion.

"Minute, molecular sized particles are drawn off of the positive electrode, having a positive electrical charge."

Here the writer would have us believe that silver particles have a positive charge, again he is confusing ions and particles. Ions have a positive charge called ionic charge owing to the fact that one electron is missing from the outer shell. Since an electron has a negative charge, when one electron is removed the resulting ion is left with positive ionic charge. Silver particles do not have a positive charge. Silver particles in a low ionic environment develop a negative charge called zeta potential which causes the particles to behave as though they possess a negative charge.

"This electrical charge is of primary importance to healing and anti-bacterial qualities."

More bogus science. The positive ionic charge of the silver ions does not survive inside the human body. In fact silver ions cannot survive inside the human for more than a few seconds. When ingested, ionic silver is greeted by hydrochloric acid in the stomach which immediately causes the silver ions to combine with the chloride ions supplied by the hydrochloric acid. This action forms the compound silver chloride which is an insoluble silver salt. Silver chloride does not possess an ionic charge.

"Silver coins were commonly dropped into a jar to prevent the spoilage of milk and other drink, and silver containers were used to prolong the freshness of foods in general."

This statement is true, but it is referring to the biocidal properties of metallic silver, not silver ions. By placing this statement immediately after a discussion of silver ions the writer is attempting to blur the distinction between metallic silver and silver ions just as he tries to use the two terms interchangeably in the statements above.

Ionic Silver vs. Pure Colloidal Silver

The statements in bold are from an Internet ad for "Ultra Pure Colloidal Silver".

"Crystal clear, nothing but pure water and silver particals."

This product is produced by electrolysis and is mostly ionic silver, not silver particles. Not only do they falsely claim that their product consists of silver particles but they don't even know how to spell the word particles (misspelled word in the actual ad).

These products have not been tested or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure any disease.

Colloids For Life makes no claims or promises as to health benefits of its dietary/health supplements. All research information is provided as a courtesy to our customers. Consequences of dietary, topical or other use of any product is the sole responsibility of the customer. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us at service@colloidsforlife.com.

True Colloidal Silver Products That Can Help You Live A Healthier Life

When browsing through the many different colloidal silver products available today, you may be asking yourself “What is colloidal silver?” To get a better understanding of what really is colloidal silver and what it can do for you, it is helpful to know what a mineral colloid is.

A mineral colloid is a supplement that is capable of providing the body with certain minerals that help you maintain an optimum level of health. Minerals are able to help the body build soft tissue and other essential life-sustaining elements in your body

Silver has been used since the 19th century to help benefit the body. In the years prior to 1938, colloidal silver products were commonly used by doctors as an antibiotic treatment. Since production of these products was typically expensive, however, the pharmaceutical companies stopped producing these products and moved on to others that were more lucrative to produce.

What is the comparison cost with Ionic Silver?

All Colloidal Silver Is Not Equal - The Comparison Cost with Ionic Silver

Don't Be Fooled

Did you know that most products represented as "colloidal" silver are actually products containing about 90% silver ions and only about 10% actual silver particles? Ionic Silver is often marketed as "colloidal silver" to drive sales, but for truth in advertising, these products should really be labeled as "Ionic Silver".

The Real Thing Mesosilver from Colloids for Life contains 75% silver particles and is properly classified as "Colloidal Silver". Ionic Silver Solutions contain about 10% silver particles. Because of the difference in particle concentration, Mesosilver has 7.5 times the amount of silver particle content as the ionic "colloidal" silver.

Important: Mesosilver is several times more effective than ionic silver. Make sure you are getting colloidal silver, not ionic silver when purchasing a silver product. Learn to read the label and understand what you are buying.

It takes more than an 8 ounce bottle of ionic silver to provide the effectiveness of 1 teaspoon of Mesosilver!

The Facts

The Mesoprocess provides 7.5 times the weight of non-ionic silver particles.

The Mesoprocess particles provide surface area 12 times greater than those produced by other methods.

Mesosilver is at least 90 ( 7.5 X 12) times more effective than ionic products claiming to be colloidal silver

“I had heard that colloidal silver was helpful with sinus infections, but I tried three different kinds and never noticed any difference. Then I chose Mesosilver. As soon as I got the bottle, I noticed that the solution looked very different from all the other brands I had tried. I began using the Mesosilver and I noticed a difference within a couple of days. Mesosilver cleared up my sinus infection when the other brands I tried did nothing.” - Jack Van Geldern, Riverside, CT

Do The Math

It takes at least 90 parts "ionic" colloidal silver to provide the same benefit as one part of Colloids for Life Mesosilver.

One bottle of Mesosilver costs you $25.

An 8 oz bottle of Ionic "colloidal" Silver cost $15.

Multiply $15 by 90 and you're spending $1350 for the same effectiveness of a $25 bottle of Mesosilver!

Silver Particles

The active ingredient in true Colloidal Silver is silver particles. The most effective silver colloids are those with the highest amount of particle surface area. Due to its high particle concentration and small particle size, Mesosilver authentic colloidal silver has at least 90 times the effectiveness of ionic silver. In order to receive the same amount of particle surface area in one teaspoon of colloidal silver from Colloids for Life, you would need to drink 90 teaspoons (1 cup plus 7 ounces) of an ionic silver solution.

Surface Area/Particle Diameter

Total surface area is a critical element of the effectiveness of colloidal silver. The more surface area that comes in contact with the fungus, virus or bacteria, the more effective the treatment. The diameter of the individual silver particles has a direct relationship to this calculation. As particles become smaller, it takes more particles to make up a given weight (PPM). As the particles diameter decreases by 1/2, the particle surface area for that same weight of particles doubles. Our special Mesoprocess yields 7.5 times as much particle content, and yields a surface area that provides 12 times the particle surface area of particles produced by other processes.

Now you can see for yourself: All Colloidal Silver is not Equal. Always check the ingredients information!

Our colloidal mineral supplements are a flavorless liquid that can be added with food or drink for easy consumption. The primary means for introducing colloidal silver to the human body are: ingestion, nebulization and inhalation, and topical application.

Colloidal Silver Products Can Help You Live A Healthier Life When browsing through the many different colloidal silver products available today, you may be asking yourself “What is colloidal silver?” To get a better understanding of what really is colloidal silver and what it can do for you, it is helpful to know what a mineral colloid is.

A mineral colloid is a supplement that is capable of providing the body with certain minerals that help you maintain an optimum level of health. Minerals are able to help the body build soft tissue and other essential life-sustaining elements in your body

Silver has been used since the 19th century to help benefit the body. In the years prior to 1938, colloidal silver products were commonly used by doctors as an antibiotic treatment. Since production of these products was typically expensive, however, the pharmaceutical companies stopped producing these products and moved on to others that were more lucrative to produce.

How is "total silver" concentration determined?

The total amount of silver that is reported as the silver concentration (in parts per million) is the sum total of the silver contained in the particles and the silver contained in the silver ions. Accurate measurement of total silver content requires the measurement by either atomic absorption or atomic emission of the silver atoms. An Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) is typically used for accurate results.

What does "particle surface area" mean?

Particle surface area is the total surface area in square centimeters (cm2) of all the particles in one milli-liter(mL) of colloid. The surface area is a calculated value based on the concentration of particles (ppm) and the mean diameter of the particles. The calculation assumes the particles are spherical. Particle surface area is inversely proportional to particle size, which means for a constant concentration of particles, the surface area increases as the particle size decreases. In the chemical world, reactivity increases with increasing surface area. Therefore, the effectiveness of colloidal solutions increases with decreasing particle size as the particle surface area increases. For this reason, particle surface area serves as a metric for comparing different colloidal solutions. In metal colloids the increase in reactivity that derives from the increased particle surface area translates directly to effectiveness of the colloid. Surface area is expressed in square centimeters (cm2) per milli-liter (mL) of colloidal solution, and is written as (cm2/mL). For example, the particle surface area of 1 ppm of particles having a mean diameter of 10 nm is 0.423 cm2/mL, while 1 ppm of 1 nm diameter particles has a particle surface area of 4.229 cm2/mL, which is ten times the surface area of the 10 nm particles.

Why is "particle surface area" important?

Particle surface area is what determines a colloid's ability to react with its environment. Reactivity increases with increasing surface area. Particle surface area can be determined by measuring the physical properties of a colloid. Because it is comprised of two important physical properties, namely, particle size and particle concentration, it serves as good metric for comparing colloids. Since it can be expressed as a single number, particle surface area can be considered a figure of merit for the effectiveness of a colloid. In this context, effectiveness is defined as the ability of the colloid to react with its environment. The higher the surface area, the more reactive the colloid, hence the more effective it is in reacting with its environment.

Why do the silver colloidal particles stay suspended and not fall to bottom?

The nanometer size particles of silver posses an electric charge that results in mutual repulsion of the particles and causes them to be dispersed throughout the suspension. This charge is called zeta potential and is negative.

Are the silver particles made of single atoms of silver?

A single silver atom can be considered to be an atomic sized particle of metallic silver. It is the smallest size of silver matter that exists. The diameter of a single silver atom is 0.288 nm. While it is theoretically possible to have a particle of metallic silver that consists of a single atom, in practice particles are much larger and consist of many atoms. Just for reference, a particle one nanometer in diameter would consist of 31 silver atoms, and a 5 nm diameter particle would be about 3900 atoms while a 20 nm diameter particle would contain about 250,000 silver atoms.

Single atoms of metallic silver are drawn to other silver atoms by 'force" van der Waals' force of attraction causing the atoms to form particles made up of many atoms. Because single atoms do not possess a repulsive force, there is nothing to prevent the force of attraction from creating ever larger particles from any available atoms in solution. Larger particles develop an electric double layer of ions surrounding the particle, which causes a charge to form called zeta potential. The zeta potential charge of particles in low ionic solutions is negative. The zeta potential creates a repulsive force that causes the particles to to be repelled from each other and uniformly dispersed in the solution. As long as the magnitude of the zeta potential is sufficient to produce a repulsive force that can overcome the force of attraction, the particles remain in suspension.

Why is it important to know how much of the total is ionic?

The benefits of colloidal silver in the human body are produced by the nanometer sized metallic silver particles not the ions. In most colloidal silver products a large quantity of ionic silver is produced as a by-product of generating the silver particles. The prominent methods of production are electrochemical processes using either low voltage DC current or high voltage AC. Both the AC and DC process may employ a constant voltage or a constant current source. Both the DC and the high voltage AC produce a significant percentage of the total silver as ionic. Typically, 75 - 99% of total silver is ionic depending on process variables. In some products claiming very high concentration levels, almost the entire silver content is ionic. To state the silver concentration in ppm without specifying what percentage is ionic is misleading to say the least. Therefore, it is important to know what percentage of the silver concentration is ionic to properly evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the product.

Is there a simple way to demonstrate the ionic silver present?

To demonstrate ionic silver content, all that is needed, is a chloride ion source to be added to a small amount of colloidal silver. Normal table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl). When table salt is dissolved in water it decomposes into sodium ions and chloride ions. To demonstrate: Place a small amount (1-2 ounces) of colloidal silver in a clear glass. Add a few grains of table salt. Observe that as the salt dissolves a white cloud of silver chloride forms in the solution. Eventually, the entire solution will turn cloudy. If more salt is added, the white silver chloride will become denser until all the silver ions have combined with the available chlorine ions. If no silver ions are present then no white cloud will form.

Would a silver colloid with a high particle surface area be better at killing pathogens?

Theory would lead us to believe that maximizing the surface area of metallic silver in contact with pathogens would increase the colloids ability to kill such pathogens. Silver colloids are available with widely varying amounts of particle surface area. Because this is considered an important metric for comparison, the particle surface area comparison is reported in the Table section of this site. Generally, products that contain a high percentage of silver in the form of silver ions will have a very low particle surface area, while products that have a high percentage of silver in the form of particles will have a higher particle surface area. The highest particle surface area will be found in products having the highest particle concentration and the smallest sized particles.

How is "ionic silver" concentration determined?

To measure the concentration of silver ions by atomic absorption requires that the particles first be removed by centrifugation leaving only the ions. Alternatively, an Ion Selective Electrode (ISE) can be selected that only responds to the silver ions in solution. ISE measurements are less accurate than AAS and are generally accurate to within about 2%.

How is the concentration of silver particles determined?

The concentration of silver particles is determined by subtracting the ionic concentration from the total silver concentration.

What percent of the silver concentration is ionic silver?

That varies greatly depending on the manufacturer and the process used to produce the product. Many products are predominantly ionic silver (75 - 99%)

What is the highest concentration of ionic silver that pure water will keep in solution?

If no other contamination anions are present, the maximum concentration of silver ions that pure water can hold at room temperature in an unsaturated solution is 13.3 ppm. In practice, there is substantial dissolved CO2 in the water, which provides additional anions, so a higher concentration of silver ions is possible without saturation.

Can ions clump together to form metallic silver particles?

In an unsaturated solution, ions are dispersed throughout the solvent by repulsive force and exist as separate entities. However, in a saturated solution, ions will precipitate out as large flakes of metallic silver particles as the solution cools. These flakes are usually flat and can grow to a very large size, up to 0.100 inches in diameter, and drop to the bottom. In a saturated solution, silver ions will recover an electron from an anion as they precipitate to metallic silver. When a silver ion receives an electron from an anion during cooling of a saturated solution, the ion becomes a silver atom. Silver atoms have no ionic charge to produce a repulsive force, so they are draw together by the van der Waals' force of attraction and aggregate into particles of metallic silver. The predominate anions in a silver colloidal solution are carbonate and hydroxide. If the anion providing the electron is a carbonate, carbonic acid is formed which lowers the pH of the solution during this process.

What happens to the silver ions in solution when the water is evaporated?

Silver ions in a solution cannot exist without water, so when the water is evaporated the silver ions (cations) must combine with an available anion to form a compound. The predominant anions present in a silver colloid solution are hydroxide and carbonate. The compounds thus formed are silver hydroxide and silver carbonate. Silver hydroxide is unstable and reduces to silver oxide and hydrogen. The silver carbonate will reduce to silver oxide and carbon dioxide. The final compound that remains is silver oxide.

This process begins as a single silver ion is forced to combine with a single anion forming a single molecule of the compound. The molecule has no ionic charge and therefore no repulsive force. The lack of repulsion causes the molecules to be attracted to each other by van der Waals' force of attraction, which causes them to aggregate and form small particles of the compound. The size of the particle growth is limited by the reduced mobility of the molecules as the water evaporates. What remains is particles of silver oxide whose diameter is 1 - 3 nanometers. It is these particles that predominate in TEM images made of silver colloid solutions which have a high ionic content.

What is a silver solution?

A silver solution contains silver ions in solution with a solvent. The solvent is usually water. A solution which contains only silver ions and no silver particles is a silver solution.

What happens when colloidal silver is ingested?

Upon ingestion, the ionic silver present in most colloidal silver solutions will immediately come into contact with the hydrochloric (HCl) acid that normally exists in the stomach to digest food. The chloride ion from the hydrochloric acid combines at once with the silver ion to form silver chloride, an insoluble silver compound. Since hydrochloric acid does not dissolve metallic silver, the silver particles remain unaffected by the stomach acid. Some of the remaining silver particles, due to their nanometer size will pass easily through the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and will be absorbed into the bloodstream where they will circulate and come in contact with pathogens, which will be killed on contact. The silver chloride that precipitates in the stomach consists of large molecules that flocculate to become even larger particles of silver chloride. Compared to the metallic silver particles, these particles are enormous and will not readily pass through the lining of the GI tract, and thus most will be passed out of the body as waste. Any silver chloride that gets through the lining of the GI tract into the bloodstream will be removed by the kidneys and passed out of the body in urine.

How else can colloidal silver particles get into the body?

Colloidal silver can enter the blood stream directly by at least two different means. The first is through the lungs by using a nebulizer to convert the colloidal silver into nanometer size droplets and then inhaling these droplets. The small size of the silver particles and silver ions will pass through the lung tissue directly into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, the particles will circulate with the blood but the ions will immediately combine with the plentiful supply of chloride ions in the serum. Human blood serum contains a large quantity of sodium and potassium chloride. The chloride ions are present in the serum in high concentration, typically 3500 ppm. The chloride ions immediately combine with the silver ions to form silver chloride. The large silver chloride molecules will be removed from the blood stream by the kidneys and passed out of the body in urine.

The second way colloidal silver can pass directly into the blood stream is by sublingual absorption. The thin membranes under the tongue will pass the small particles and ions directly into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, the ions will precipitate out as described above leaving the particles to circulate with the blood.

Because the silver ions cannot exist for long in the human body regardless of the entry mechanism, they really represent an undesired byproduct that is passed from the body as waste. The ideal colloidal silver would maximize the percentage of particles and minimize the percent of ions. Since typical colloidal silver products contain a very high percentage of ionic silver, there is a lot of potential for improvement by reducing the ionic content as close to zero percent as possible.

What can you tell me about your laboratory and scientists?

Colloidal Science Laboratory, Inc.

About CSL

CSL was formed to conduct research and development in the field of metal colloids. The lab is primarily involved in two fields of scientific investigation pertaining to colloids: process development and analytical measurements to determine their physical properties.

Staff Scientists

The laboratory was founded by Francis Key, who serves as the Principal Scientist. Educated at Columbia University and Newark College of Engineering, he has an extensive background in the fields of electrical engineering, computer science, and various branches of physics and engineering. Mr. Key's experience in scientific research and engineering spans a period over 35 years, beginning with his contributions to the design of space flight hardware used on the Apollo and Viking space missions. Mr. Key is known for meticulous attention to details, and relentless investigative procedures, which have led to innovative solutions in defense, aerospace and private industry. Mr. Key has carefully researched the production of colloidal silver, and has built a state-of-the-art laboratory facility for colloidal research. He has also instituted analytical methods and developed manufacturing processes that ensure the highest purity and consistency possible for a colloidal product.

Dr. George Maass serves a senior scientific advisor to CSI. He holds degrees in chemistry from Fordham University and Iowa State University. For the last 6 years, Dr. Maass has been a professor of chemistry at Camden County College, while operating his own consulting business. He has authored papers and presented seminars on his work in the US, England and Mexico.

Process Development

Research has focused on developing processes to produce colloids with superior physical properties using techniques heretofore unknown in the industry. Process development has involved the use of advanced scientific principles in physics, chemistry and quantum mechanics.

CSL processes have been developed with the emphasis on the continuous production model rather than the more typical batch process model. Many electrochemical techniques used to produce metal colloids are batch processes which means that the product is produced in batches of a fixed amount, for example, 10 gallons.

CSL has succeeded in developing proprietary processes that produce metal colloids whose particle size is dramatically smaller than any known to exist previously. The mesoprocess developed at CSL simultaneously produces very small particles and a high percentage of particles vs ions. Particle size is especially important because the resulting increase in particle surface area promotes a higher reaction potential with the metal particles which directly relates to effectiveness.

CSL pioneered in the development of low ionic/high particulate silver colloids by producing colloids that are nearly devoid of ionic content. The high quantity of particles combined with their small size provides the most desired combination of properties. This set of properties produces the highest particle surface area for a given concentration.

Analytical capabilities

In order to perfect the new production processes, the laboratory must be able to quantify the physical properties that have been determined to be important to the quality and effectiveness of the colloids.

One of the most important properties of a colloid and one of most difficult to properly measure is the size distribution of the particles. We researched particle size measurement technology as it applies to nanometer sized particles and chose a state-of-the-art Photon Correlation Spectrometer (PCS) produced by one of the worlds leaders in the field of particle characterization. The PCS provides accurate and repeatable measurements of the particles size distribution of the colloidal particles over a range from less than a nanometer up to 3000 nanometers. The PCS also measures Zeta Potential, a property important to understanding colloid stability and surfactant chemistry. The PCS is an essential analytical tool that produces data essential to understanding the process factors that affect particle size.

CSL pioneered in the development of techniques to accurately measure the ionic content of colloids by separating the particles from the ions using Ultra centrifugation that produces up to 360,000 G forces for separating the smallest particles from the ions. Once separated, the ions can be measured using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Accurate measurement of ionic content is essential to properly evaluate the process variables that affect the ion/particle ratio. Such process variables are optimized to maximize the particles and minimize the ionic content of the colloids.

Other relevant properties of colloids include conductivity, turbidity, pH, and concentration.

The lab is equipped to perform measurements of all the physical properties of metal colloidal solutions that pertain to the quality and effectiveness of the product. All measurements use standards traceable to N.I.S.T. and are performed by professional personnel with extensive experience in the laboratory procedures and equipment used to make the measurements.

Laboratory Capabilities

The laboratory analytical capabilities are focused on measuring the physical properties of colloids. The physical properties that we measure are those that relate to the quality and effectiveness of colloidal solutions.

The properties of interest are:

Concentration (ppm) of ions

Concentration (ppm) of particles

Conductivity

Particle size distribution

pH

Turbidity

Zeta potential

From these measurements we calculate particle surface area which directly relates to effectiveness and serves as a metric for comparison with other colloids. The equipment listed below comprises the scientific equipment used by the laboratory personnel to determine the physical properties described above.

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) - A Perkin-Elmer Model 4100 Flame AAS with deuterium background correction is used to determine concentration of trace metals in sample solutions. The AAS is currently equipped to measure silver, gold, copper, iron, and titanium. The AAS is used to determine total silver in silver colloids. Ionic silver content in silver colloids is determined by first removing the particles by centrifugation and then measuring the silver content remaining in the solution.

Analytical Balance - An A&D Model HM-202 balance reads grams to five decimal places (10 microgram resolution) and is used for general lab work and preparing dilutions by weight (mass).

Centrifugation - The lab has several centrifuges with the capacity to provide a wide range of separation functions from continuous flow processing to ultra G-force separation.

Continuous flow - A Carr Separation Powerfuge Pilot with an axial bowl produces variable G-forces from 50 - 20,000 G's while processing flow rates up to 4 liters per minute.

Ultra G-force - Beckman L8-80M Ultra Centrifuge is a microprocessor-controlled ultracentrifuge used to generate centrifugal forces up to 365,000 Gs for particle separation. Maximum of 80,000 rpm is produced by this unit with total rotor volume of 150 mL in a refrigerated vacuum chamber.

High capacity - A Hermle ZK-364 Centrifuge with swing bucket rotor provides a total rotor capacity of 720 mL and 4500 G-forces in a refrigerated chamber.

Conductivity - Conductivity Meters: Hanna Instruments HI 8733 Conductivity Meter, HI 9033 Multi-range Conductivity Meter and Ultra Pure Water tester (UPW).

Evaporation/Concentration - A Buchi Rotavapor Model 124 with Buchi digital vacuum controller and Lauda IC-30 immersion cooler comprise the evaporator system that is used in general laboratory tasks involving evaporation and concentration of solutions.

Particle Size Characterization - Malvern Zetasizer 3000HSA In the Zetasizer, the particle size of colloidal particles is measured using laser light scattering and the technique of photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). With this technique the fluctuations in the intensity of light scattered by colloidal particles are analyzed using a digital correlator to determine the diffusion coefficient and size distribution of the particles.

pH/ISE - Orion 710A with an ion specific electrode for silver is used to make ISE silver measurements. A pH probe is used for both high and low ionic pH measurements.

Turbidity - Turbidity Meter: Orbeco-Hellige Digital Direct Reading Turbidity Meter, Model 965 measures turbidity in three ranges (20, 200, and 1000 NTU).

Zeta Potential - Malvern Zetasizer 3000HSA measures zeta potential. Zeta potential is a measure of the magnitude of the repulsion or attraction between particles in a colloid. Its measurement brings detailed insight into the dispersion mechanism and is the key to electrostatic dispersion control