Iodine production and applications

Tatsuo Kaiho
Godo Shigen Co., Ltd., Chiba, Japan

Abstract:

The history, production and applications of iodine in the past centuries will be reviewed and the iodine chemistry and industrial applications in the 3^rd century of iodine will be anticipated in this lecture. 

1. The 1^st century of iodine chemistry (1811~1910)

Production: French chemist, Bernard Courtois, discovered iodine as a novel element from seaweed ash in 1811. Iodine production from seaweed ash started in Normandy, France in 1814. Another iodine resource, caliche, was discovered in Chile in 1840 and production started in 1868. Iodine production from the 3^rd resource of iodine, natural gas brine, started in the end of 1^st century. Applications: Potassium iodide was used as a remedy for goiter in 1816. The earliest account of iodine tincture applied to wounds was recorded in 1862 (American Civil War).

2. The 2^nd century of iodine chemistry (1911~2010)

Production: Iodine production from brine started in various places; USA (1926), Italy (1927), Japan (1934). Various production methods were developed such as copper method, activated carbon absorption method, starch absorption method, blowing out method, and ion-exchange resin method. Iodine is mainly produced from the countries; Chile, Japan, USA, and Indonesia, around Pacific Ocean today. Applications: Many applications of iodine were developed in the 2nd century of iodine as follows: X-ray contrast media: Iodine blocks X-rays and is used to get detailed image of brain and heart. Disinfectant: Iodine is used as a disinfectant for external wounds or a gargle. A typical example is povidone iodine (Betadine). Polarizing Film: Iodine is used for the polarizing film which acts as the switch on the LCD screens of TVs, Mobile Phone, and PC. Some of these applications are related to polyiodide which belong to the type of compounds known as hypervalent iodine. 

3. The 3^rd century of iodine chemistry (2011~)

Production: Recycling iodine is environmentally and economically important because it is a scarce and limited resource. Novel Application of iodine: Perovskite Solar Cell is one of the promising applications of iodine. Hypervalent iodine chemistry and halogen bonding chemistry would be the important fields of iodine chemistry in the 3^rd century of iodine.

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