Iodine Facts
Iodine Facts
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| Interesting Iodine Facts: |
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| Iodine was discovered in 1811 by Barnard Courtois. |
| He named it iodine from the Greek word "iodes" which means violet. |
| Iodine is fairly rare in both the Earth's crust and in the solar system. |
| Iodine is the 47th most abundant element in the solar system. |
| It is the 60th most common element in the Earth's crust. |
| Iodine is very soluble in water and is found more abundantly in the ocean and in brine at 0.04 parts per million. |
| It is a blue-black solid. |
| Iodine readily forms compounds with a large number of other elements. |
| Iodine plays a very important role in the biology of all living organisms. |
| The higher mammals use it build the thyroid hormones. |
| Even as a trace element, it is the heaviest element organisms need. |
| There are thirty-seven known isotopes of iodine, but only one of them is stable. |
| The most stable radioactive isotope is I-129, which has a 15.7 million year half-life. |
| There is an extinct radioactive isotope of iodine, I-129. |
| This radioisotope is only known because of its offspring product, Xenon-129. |
| Most iodine production in the world comes from either the caliche in Chile, or the extraction from oil field brines around the US and Japan. |
| The gas fields of Japan and the US contain brine at a deep depth, causing the temperature to be ideal for the extraction of natural iodine. |
| Iodine can be extracted from ocean water using electrolysis, but it is not common due to the abundance of iodine in the easier to use brine. |
| Most iodine produced each year is used in livestock feed. |
| Iodine is also necessary for the production of acetic acid, another major commercial use of iodine. |
| Iodine is probably most well-known for its use as a disinfectant. |
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