Regina and Douglas Haggo
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Iodine is a nonmetallic chemical element and the heaviest nonradioactive halogen. It is a very nearly black crystalline solid that can turn to a deep violet, irritating vapor. In nature it is never found uncombined, and occurs mostly in brines and seaweeds. Dietary iodine is essential for thyroid gland function, so table salt usually has potassium iodide added to prevent iodine deficiency. Elemental iodine is used in medicine, in synthesizing some organic chemicals, in manufacturing dyes, in analytical chemistry, and in photography. The radioactive isotope I-131, with an eight-day half-life, is very useful in medicine and other applications.
Examples of iodine in a Sentence
Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
In radioactive iodine ablation, people take radioactive iodine by mouth to destroy the thyroid gland’s cells, which ease the symptoms of Graves’.
—Becky Upham, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Aug. 2024
An array of radioactive substances had been released during the disaster, including plutonium and uranium, but scientists were also on the lookout for harmful levels of radioactive cesium and iodine isotopes, which turned out to be the abundant and far-reaching contaminants of agricultural land.
—Kate Graham-Shaw, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2024
While some water purification tablets do last indefinitely if unopened (like iodine), others have a shelf life of five years or less.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 2 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Iodine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iodine. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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