The key difference between ionic and colloidal silver is that the ionic silver consists of ionized silver whereas colloidal silver consists of both ionized and unionized particles of silver.
We all know what silver is. It is a very shiny metal that we use for many important purposes. Further, the silver occurs in two major forms; they are the ionized form and the unionized form. There are many important applications of silver at these atomic levels too. Among these applications, using this metal as a supplement is popular in medicine. These silver supplements are important to boost our immune system.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Ionic Silver
3. What is Colloidal Silver
4. Side by Side Comparison – Ionic vs Colloidal Silver in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Ionic Silver?
Ionic silver is a form of supplement consisting of an ionized form of silver. It contains very small particles of silver which we cannot observe even under the electron microscope; rather than particles; we call them silver atoms. This supplement is an aqueous solution consist of water and single atom silver ions; we call this silver as “dissolved silver”. Therefore, there are no silver particles in these solutions.
This solution is conductive due to the presence of silver ions. Its electrical conductivity is directly proportional to the ionic concentration of the solution. The silver ions in this solution remain dispersed throughout the solution. This is due to the repulsion between the ions. Moreover, there is no cluster formation in this solution (which is a common problem with colloidal silver).
What is Colloidal Silver?
Colloidal silver is a form of supplement consisting of ionized and unionized forms of silver. This type of solutions forms due to an electromagnetic process that pulls submicroscopic particles of silver (in the micron range) from a larger piece of pure silver into water. The silver particles exist in the suspension due to the electrical charge on silver atoms.
The silver particles do not contribute to the electrical conductivity of the solution. However, the ionic portion can contribute to electrical conductivity. The colloidal silver supplement is non-toxic, non-addictive and also the side effects are minimum.
Figure 02: Colloidal Silver
However, the benefits of this supplement strongly depend on the small particle size of silver. Small particles cause easy penetration and travel through the body. In addition to that, when we store this solution for a long-term, the particles of the suspension tend to form agglomerates. It can build even large clusters. This reduces the amount of useful small particles of silver in the solution. Therefore, it reduces the effectiveness of the silver supplement.
What is the Difference Between Ionic and Colloidal Silver?
Ionic silver is a form of supplement consisting of an ionized form of silver. Colloidal silver is a form of supplement consisting of ionized and unionized forms of silver. This is the key difference between ionic and colloidal silver. Furthermore, ionic and colloidal silver differ from each other according to the particle size in each solution. Ionic silver has single, ionized silver atoms rather than particles while colloidal silver contains silver particles that are visible via electron microscope. Moreover, if we store colloidal silver for a long time period, clusters of silver particles form that reduces the effectiveness of these solutions. However, there is no cluster formation in ionic silver; thus, the effectiveness of this supplement is ensured for a long time period.
The below infographic presents more information on the difference between ionic and colloidal silver in tabular form.
Summary – Ionic vs Colloidal Silver
Ionic and colloidal silver are two forms of silver supplements. The important difference between ionic and colloidal silver is that the ionic silver consists of ionized silver whereas the colloidal silver consists of both ionized and unionized particles of silver.