Group 7: Halogens
Read our general notes on Risk Assessment
How would you extract iodine from a solution with a hydrocarbon solvent after the extraction from seaweed?
Igloo writes ...
The simple answer to your question is “with difficulty”! The problem is that both iodine and the hydrocarbon solvent are volatile, so there’s nothing to be gained from boiling off the hydrocarbon solvent and hoping that solid iodine will remain – it won’t!
One method might be to allow the solution to evaporate slowly at room temperature (working in a fume cupboard) and hope that iodine crystals form once the solution becomes sufficiently concentrated.
Another possibility is to distil the solution at room temperature, but under reduced pressure. This might just work.
Always carry out a risk assessment and check with your teacher before starting any practical work.
Risk assessment
Before attempting any practical work based on the advice and suggestions on this website, you must do the following. Identify any hazards, assess the risks from these hazards, and then decide appropriate control measures to reduce the risks. You must have these approved by those in authority in your school or college laboratory. Do not rely on what is said on this website.
For further guidance see our tutorial on Risk Assessment.
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updated: 16 December 2006
