This is not a chemical that the average person on the street is likely to know much about. It is an odourless, non-flammable, water-soluble substance with a white-to-transparent crystalline appearance; you could say it is fairly nondescript. But behind that bland exterior lies a very useful substance. Over the past few years we have seen demand for Potassium Iodide increase rapidly across many different applications and in our territories around the world. This has contributed to Potassium Iodide becoming one of our fastest growing product lines.
Also known as Potassium Salt of Hydriodic Acid, Potassium Iodide has long had a variety of uses in the pharmaceutical industry. It is an active ingredient in thyroid treatments and also has anti-radiation properties. It is also widely used in anti-inflammatory ointments and cold and cough medicines, while anti-bacterial properties make it a popular disinfectant and an agent used in the treatment of drinking water.
One of the major markets for Potassium Iodide at present is the food and beverage industry. Iodine deficiency is a major cause of thyroid problems and of cognitive and physical development issues worldwide. One of the main approaches to tackling these problems is the addition of Potassium Salts as dietary supplements. This includes the well-known process of Salt Iodisation, in the addition of traces of Potassium Iodide to table salt.
As well as contributing an important source of Iodine in food stuffs, Potassium Iodide acts as a stabiliser and is also widely used in the analysis of food products to assess starch content. More broadly, Potassium Iodide is used in analytical chemistry as a reagent in titration processes because of the very stark and quantifiable colour changes that occur when Iodine is released and reacts with other chemicals.
Other common industrial uses include the production of a light-sensitive photographic emulsion used in film-based photography and polarising films used in graphic display screens. It is also used in the oil industry to protect against corrosion and to detect leaks.
Norkem sells bulk quantities of Potassium Iodide ranging from 25 kilos to full container quantities. We have stocks strategically stored across the continents and we welcome your enquiries.
We are also becoming more and more involved in Iodine recycling and can help with environmental management and waste disposal costs by collecting any waste products containing Iodine, please contact us for further information.