Potassium iodide is widely used as ananalytical reagent, in photography,and also as an additive to table salt toprevent goitre and other disordersdue to iodine deficiency.
Potassium iodide is a white crystals, granules, or powder; strong, bitter, saline taste. becomes yellowish when exposed to bright light due to photochemical decomposition liberating traces of free iodine. Soluble in water, alcohol, acetone, and glycerol. slightly soluble in ether and ammonia. In solution it has the interestingproperty of dissolving iodine to formthe triiodide ion I3-, which is brown.
Potassium iodide is found in seaweed. Some important applications of this compound involve its use in pharmaceuticals and as a source of iodine in food,especially in animal and poultry feed. Potassium iodide is added to table salt to provide iodine in human food.
Another major use is in making photographic emulsions. In analytical chemistry, potassium iodide is used in iodometric titration with starch indicator to analyze dissolved oxygen, dissolved chlorine, sulfide, and other analytes in water.