Iodine


 * Group Number:** 17

**Period Number:** 5

**Discovery:** Bernard Courtois in 1811

**State at Room Temperature:** Solid

**Colour of element**: It is a dark purple-black at room temperature. Purple in the gas form. Yellowish-brown in water.

**Atomic Number**: 53

**Atomic Mass:** 126.9

Protons- 53 Neutrons- 74 Electrons- 53
 * Atomic Details: **

**Melting point**: 113.6**°** C **Boiling point:** 184.4**°** C

**Type:** Non-metal


 * Interesting Facts: **

1. The name for iodine comes from the Greek word iodes, which means violet. Iodine gas is violet-colored.

2. Unlike other elements, when heated, it does not melt. Instead it sublimes. Sublimation is a process of a solid turns directly to gas without melting resulting the purple gas.

3. Commercially, iodine is mined in Chile and also extracted from iodine-rich brines, notably from the oilfields in the US and Japan.

4. Iodine is detected in every organ and tissue in the body. It is found in high levels in the thyroid, breast, stomach, saliva, liver, lung, heart, and adrenals.

5. Iodine is used as an antiseptic to treat minor cuts and abrasions. It is also found in some household products. It can also be used to test food for starch content.