Iodine

Applications

In areas where there is little iodine in the diet—typically remote inland

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areas and semi-arid equatorial climates where no marine foods are eaten—iodine deficiency gives rise to

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goitre, so called endemic goitre. In some such areas, this is now combated by the addition of small amounts of iodine to table salt in form of sodium iodide, potassium iodide, potassium iodate—this product is known as iodized salt. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of mental retardation. Iodine deficency remains a serious problem that affects people around the globe.

Related Topics:
Goitre - Endemic goitre - Iodized salt - Mental retardation

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Other uses:

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• One of the halogens, it is an essential trace element; the thyroid hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine contain iodine.
• Tincture of iodine (3% elemental iodine in water/ethanol base) is an essential component of any emergency survival kit, used both to disinfect wounds and to sanitize surface water for drinking (3 drops per liter, let stand for 30 minutes)
• Iodine compounds are important in the field of organic chemistry and are very useful in medicine.
• Iodides and thyroxine which contains iodine, are both used in internal medicine and, in combination with alcohol (as tincture of iodine) are used externally to disinfect wounds
• Silver iodide is used in photography
• Potassium iodide (KI) tablets can be given to people in a nuclear disaster area. KI prevents the body from absorbing the radioactive iodine and caesium (chemically related to potassium) produced at the disaster area; by flushing the body with an excess of a related less-harmful chemical, the body removes the toxic chemical along with the antidote.
• Tungsten iodide is used to stabilize the filaments in light bulbs
• Nitrogen triiodide is an explosive, too unstable to be used commercially, but is commonly used in college pranks
• Iodine-131 is used as a tracer in medicine