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Iodine

What is Iodine?

Iodine is a natural element found in many natural sources such as sea water, seaweed (algae), and some soil. [1]



History

Iodine was discovered by Bernard Courtois in 1811. He was born to a manufacturer of saltpeter (a vital part of gunpowder). At the time of the Napoleonic Wars, France was at war and saltpeter was in great demand. Saltpeter produced from French niter beds required sodium carbonate, which could be isolated from seaweed washed up on the coasts of Normandy and Brittany. To isolate the sodium carbonate, seaweed was burned and the ash then washed with water. The remaining waste was destroyed by adding sulfuric acid. One day Courtois added too much sulfuric acid and a cloud of purple vapor rose. Courtois noted that the vapor crystallized on cold surfaces making dark crystals. Courtois suspected that this was a new element but lacked the money to pursue his observations. [1]

Other Ingredient Information

Products containing Iodine


The percentage represents the approximate total number of food products from UPC Food Search's data that contain the ingredient, "Iodine".
The data is calculated from UPC Food Search's product data only, and is not meant to reflect all food products regionally or globally.

Source(s) Derived From

 Other Natural Sources, Chemical (Synthetic) Sources

Natural or Artificial?

 Both (Can be derived from Natural & Artificial Sources)

References
  1. Iodine - Wikipedia

Aliases (Also Known As)


 Iodine Citrate
Povidone
Prolamine Iodine

Color Key - (Click/Tap to View) Dash

  • Natural
  • Natural & Possibly Unsafe
  • Artificial
  • Artificial & Possibly Unsafe
  • Both (Can be derived from Natural & Artificial Sources)
  • Both (Can be derived from Natural & Artificial Sources) & Possibly Unsafe

Revision History

Action User Date/Time
Ingredient addedUPC Food SearchJanuary 1, 2009 @ 2:14 AM

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