Celebrating 200 years of iodine research and its many applications
Iodine - by many first consciously encountered as a stinging disinfectant applied to a wounded knee or elbow - is an important component in the screens that dominate our lives: those of computers, mobile phones and LCD televisions. It is also used in other advanced materials, semi-conductors like solar cells and in x-ray imaging. In celebration of the bicentennial anniversary of the discovery of this important element, an international consortium of 11 scientists today publish a review of the history of iodine research in the reputable German journal Angewandte Chemie. Read more
Iodine was discovered by Bernard Courtois in 1811. Courtois gave samples to his friends, Charles Bernard Desormes (1777-1862) and Nicolas Clément (1779-1841), to continue research. He also gave some of the substance to chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778-1850), and to physicist André-Marie Ampère (1775-1836). On 29 November 1813, Dersormes and Clément made public Courtois's discovery. Read more