Make Iodine from Sulfuric acid and Alkali Metal Iodide

How to make elemental iodine from sulfuric acid and sodium or potassium iodide.

Warning: Reaction must be done outside or in a fumehood due to production of toxic gases including hydrogen sulfide.

First, get your sodium or potassium iodide and completely dissolve it in a minimum of water. Then place it into an ice bath to keep it cold.

Second, add concentrated sulfuric acid directly to the solution and constantly stir. As you add it will produce iodine.

At first the mixture will become pasty and eventually liquefy.

Once it's liquefied, pour it directly into cold water (the ice bath itself is useful for this) and stir it up. Then let it settle for ten minutes or so.

The iodine will settle to the bottom so pour off the water and acid.

The iodine will still be contaminated with acid so you'll need to add water and pour off several times to get out most of the acid.

Filter it and now you have a solid plug of iodine.

It's usable as-is for most purposes but you can purify by placing it in a beaker with a ice-filled round bottom flask on top. Then heat the beaker. The iodine will vaporize and deposit on the flask.

A cool reaction is to take some iodine and pour magnesium powder over it. It will react to form a purple cloud of iodine vapor. If it doesn't react quickly enough, just add a drop of water.

Our website http://www.nurdrage.com

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• DIY
• make
• iodine
• sulfuric
• acid
• potassium
• sodium
• iodide
• chemistry
• home
• science
• fair
• experiment
• project
• inorganic
• reaction

[anandh1994]

only on pure iodine on adding magnesium it reacts,coz i have tried it bt i didnt got the result of last test ?

[NurdRage]

@anandh1994 sometimes a drop of water is needed to get the reaction going.

[qak89]

@mcgoo721 and JorgeBM2204

if your wastes do not contain heavy metals like lead, or especially mercury, or any organic compounds you can just flush them down your drain pipe, but there might be different regulations on disposing wastes in your country/state

[ichbinned2]

nurdrage you are awesome!

[elflordbob1]

@purplemutantas

thanx i found a website ...but my mommy wont let me buy it :(

lol jk

[purplemutantas]

@elflordbob1 Google is your friend. There is plenty of info on acquiring sulfuric acid. There are also youtube videos on the subject.

[elflordbob1]

where can you buy corrosive acids,as an individual not business or school???

sulfuric acid mainly

[mcgoo721]

@JorgeBM2204 Since he's at a lab I'm sure they have the necessary ways of disposing it all, but I've been wondering the same thing for at home, small scale things.

I assume you could do a search for a place near you that handles chemical waste. At least, that's what I'm about to do.

[mcwario13]

2:28 then look at the Backround

[gameridiots]

O.o fuck science!

[demoniack81]

Wow, we have the same watch. I feel realized.

[RadioTrefoil]

@barrowscasper12 Yes, iodine vapours are quite poisonous.