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From French laboratory to world stage: What are the amazing stories behind the discovery of iodine?
In 1811, French chemist Bernard Courtois accidentally discovered a new element - iodine - during a seemingly ordinary experiment. This discovery not only changed the history of chemistry, but also had a profound impact on medicine and industry. Due to its unique properties and uses, iodine has become one of the indispensable chemical elements in all walks of life.
The name iodine comes from the Ancient Greek word "Ιώδης", meaning violet, because of its characteristic dark purple color in gaseous state.
The accidental discovery of iodine
Courvoisier’s story begins with his process of extracting potassium carbonate from seaweed. He saw that during the Napoleonic Wars in the 1820s, demand for this salt rose dramatically in France. When he treated the seaweed ash with an excess of sulfuric acid, he accidentally produced a deep purple fume. This made him suspect that it was a new element. Lacking funding, he gave samples to colleagues to continue their research, which eventually led to a series of scientific papers and discoveries.
Follow-up of the discovery
On November 29, 1813, Courvois's friends Charles Bernard Desormes and Nicolas Clément officially announced the invention at a meeting of the French Imperial Academy of Sciences. New elements. Subsequently, chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac confirmed it as an element and suggested the name "iode". The name was converted into English "iodine" and was generally recognized after years of research.
Scientific progress often stems from accidental discoveries, and Curva's iodine is undoubtedly a classic example.
The many uses of iodine
Iodine's unique properties make it an important element for a variety of medical and industrial applications. It plays an integral role in the synthesis of thyroid hormones, and iodine deficiency causes intellectual disability in hundreds of millions of people. Today, there are two billion people suffering from iodine deficiency that affects their intellectual development, making iodine supplementation an important issue in global public health.
In addition to medical uses, iodine is used as a contrast agent, as a catalyst in the production of acetic acid, and in the manufacturing of certain polymers. This makes iodine not only an important object of chemical research, but also an indispensable component in people's daily life.
Radioactive isotopes of iodine and their medical applications
Iodine isotopes also play an important role in medicine. Among them, iodine-131 is a common radioactive isotope that is often used in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases. Due to its specific absorption in the body, iodine-131 can effectively locate and destroy tumor tissue.
Historical significance and current status
For 178 years, the discovery of iodine has not only demonstrated the charm of chemistry, but also revealed the spirit of scientific exploration. Although the applications introduced have moved from the laboratory to the vast world, people's understanding of iodine has not stagnated. Today, Chile and Japan remain the main producers of iodine, and global demand for iodine continues to grow with advances in health and medical research.
This journey is not only a history of scientific exploration, but also a microcosm of how humans use natural resources to improve their lives.
However, will such scientific exploration change with the emergence of new technologies, or will there be an element more valuable than iodine at some point in the future?
