Iodised salt
In this activity, students test a variety of commercially available table salts for the presence of iodine – a micronutrient essential for health and wellbeing.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
recognise the difference in structural terms between the element iodine and one of its ionic forms known as iodide ion
describe a simple chemical test to detect the presence of iodine in iodised salt and explain in simple terms the chemistry underlying the test
effectively manipulate simple laboratory equipment
successfully test commercially available table salts for the presence of iodine
demonstrate an understanding of the role iodine plays in the body.
The element iodine
Iodine, a solid at room temperature, is element number 53 on the periodic table. When gently heated it sublimes into a purple vapour as seen here. Iodine is an essential element in the diet, too little can result in the medical condition goitre. Using iodised salt is one way of making it available to the body.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do
student worksheet.
