sol, in physical chemistry, a colloid (aggregate of very fine particles dispersed in a continuous medium) in which the particles are solid and the dispersion medium is fluid. If the dispersion medium is water, the colloid may be called a hydrosol; and if air, an aerosol. Lyophobic (Greek: “liquid-hating”) sols are characterized by particles that are not strongly attracted to molecules of the dispersion medium and that are relatively easily coagulated and precipitated. Lyophilic (“liquid-loving”) sols are more stable and more closely resemble true solutions. Many sols are intermediate between lyophobic and lyophilic types. Compare gel.