Most of us became familiar with iodine as kids when our cuts and scrapes were treated with brown disinfectant that stained our skin. And today most iodine produced still goes to the medical field. The element is notable for its colorful nature: in the presence of polar solvents like alcohol and water that unmistakable shade of brown comes through while oils, which are non polar, dissolve solid iodine into a bewitching haze of purple. In solid form iodine crystals are blue-black and shiny.

Iodine has a high vapor pressure (it "evaporates") and causes awful stains to anything it comes into contact with. We'll get you your iodine in a little bottle as the cheapest option but you may want to consider getting an ampule instead which is much better at keeping the crystals stable.

To comply with U.S. federal law, Luciteria limits purchases of iodine to a maximum of 250 grams per individual per year (100g per year for California residents). Orders exceeding 100g will require the buyer to submit a copy of a government-issued ID prior to shipping.

Note additional options for this element on the Ampules section

CAS 7553-56-2