Today we are going to recreate Bernard Courtois’ experiment and get iodine crystals. But since not all of us have seaweed at home and the sulfuric acid is very dangerous we are going to use something that almost all of us already have.
What you need:
• Iodine solution
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Glass container
What you do:
• Pour a little bit of iodine solution into a glass container.
• Add few drops of hydrogen peroxide.
• Mix.
What happens:
• After a minute or so you will see grey iodine crystals on the bottom of the glass container.
Why:
• The Hydrogen peroxide helps to convert the iodine salts to the desired form.
Note: • Don’t try to store iodine crystals in a plastic bag, as they will slowly turn to gas and leak through the plastic.
• Don’t let the crystals sit out too long, they sublimate rapidly and you’ll loose them.
• Don’t drop any of the iodine crystals on your carpet because the stain will come back for years no matter how good you clean them.
Speak Your Mind