Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Iodine Extraction from Tincture

Iodine Extraction from Tincture

Abromination - 15-1-2019 at 21:26

I am sure that most of the more senior members here already know how to extract the iodine from tincture, but many beginners do not. I am only posting this because apon a search the forum contains no information on this particular extraction.
Move it if you would like, I felt that it fit here as it is a reagent.

On average, tincture of iodine contains anywhere from 2 to 10 percent iodine along with potassium or sodium iodide in a solution of aqueous ethanol. This can be extracted by adding a mixture of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide.

Add one bottle of 2% iodine tincture to an erlinmeyer flask. Mix in about 35mL 20% hydrochloric acid. Precision doesn't matter all that much here. Add your flask to an ice bath (this isn't necessary although it helps reduce iodine vapor) and slowly add 30mL of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Stirr thoroughly and filter. All of this must be done in a fume hood or outside due to iodine vapors. Wash the filtered iodine with distilled water and hang in a sealed glass container over anhydrous calcium chloride to dry.
To purify your iodine, add it to a beaker and place a round bottomed flask full of ice water over the top. Turn on the heat and evaporate your iodine. Crystals will collect on the bottom of the flask. Scrape these and any on the sides of the beaker off, leaving anything else on the bottom. Thats about it, make sure you store it properly.

A few things to keep in mind of course are that iodine, despite having a better reputation then the other halogens is still toxic. It also as the tendency to stain most any surface.

[Edited on 1-16-19 by Abromination]

itsafineday - 18-1-2019 at 14:19

Thanks for this. Not even a full 24 hours ago , I was staring at a bottle of povidone iodine wondering how to get the iodine .

j_sum1 - 18-1-2019 at 14:36

Quote: Originally posted by itsafineday

Thanks for this. Not even a full 24 hours ago , I was staring at a bottle of povidone iodine wondering how to get the iodine .

Povidone iodine has a polymer material that needs breaking down. A different method is needed.

Jackson - 18-1-2019 at 22:27

Ive tried multiple times to extract iodine from tincture and decolorized KI/NaI solution and every time when i try subliming the iodine what happens is it condenses on the bottom of the beaker and then disolves in the water. I cant figure out how to dry it.

Abromination - 18-1-2019 at 23:13

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

Quote: Originally posted by itsafineday

Thanks for this. Not even a full 24 hours ago , I was staring at a bottle of povidone iodine wondering how to get the iodine .

Povidone iodine has a polymer material that needs breaking down. A different method is needed.

Povidone iodine requires a very different extraction proceedure.
NileRed has a great video on it, although this is way cheaper. It is still cheaper just to buy plain iodine, but it is often restricted.

itsafineday - 27-1-2019 at 05:48

Thanks for the heads up J. Cool picture, Abromination. I'm going through Thompson's All Lab No lecture book and this thread is a good complement to one of the labs.

MrHomeScientist - 28-1-2019 at 14:24

Good write up, Abromination. One suggestion: add the size of the iodine tincture bottle. I don't know if that's standardized, but if someone has a different bottle that'll affect the amounts.

I tried the extraction from Povidone a while back, and it led to one of my (thankfully few) lab disaster stories. The procedure called for 3% hydrogen peroxide, but I figured I'd save time and use (a smaller volume of) 27% peroxide instead. Everything went fine after adding a few mL, so I went ahead and added the rest. Shortly afterward, the rate of bubbling increased rapidly and the beaker began spewing purple fumes. I grabbed the beaker and ran outside with it, a cloud of purple following in my wake. Stained quite a few surfaces on the way out! But luckily that came out with a little sodium thiosulfate solution. My sinuses were irritated for a good while after that, too.

And itsafineday, that book is wonderful. I have a copy, too. Really great resource for experiments!

Abromination - 28-1-2019 at 15:33

Quote: Originally posted by MrHomeScientist

Good write up, Abromination. One suggestion: add the size of the iodine tincture bottle. I don't know if that's standardized, but if someone has a different bottle that'll affect the amounts.

I tried the extraction from Povidone a while back, and it led to one of my (thankfully few) lab disaster stories. The procedure called for 3% hydrogen peroxide, but I figured I'd save time and use (a smaller volume of) 27% peroxide instead. Everything went fine after adding a few mL, so I went ahead and added the rest. Shortly afterward, the rate of bubbling increased rapidly and the beaker began spewing purple fumes. I grabbed the beaker and ran outside with it, a cloud of purple following in my wake. Stained quite a few surfaces on the way out! But luckily that came out with a little sodium thiosulfate solution. My sinuses were irritated for a good while after that, too.

And itsafineday, that book is wonderful. I have a copy, too. Really great resource for experiments!

Funny, I guess I forgot. I used two 2% 30mL bottles although the procedure here only uses 1 bottle. Thanks for catching that!

arkoma - 29-1-2019 at 15:29

KI. Absolutely painless, OTC and easily available.

Tincture is a pain.

Abromination - 29-1-2019 at 22:46

Quote: Originally posted by arkoma

KI. Absolutely painless, OTC and easily available.

Tincture is a pain.

Not where I live, I cant find iodides that ship.

arkoma - 30-1-2019 at 16:10

Quote: Originally posted by Abromination

Quote: Originally posted by arkoma

KI. Absolutely painless, OTC and easily available.

Tincture is a pain.

Not where I live, I cant find iodides that ship.[/rquote

Wow, not on ebay? KI is a "dietary supplement" in case of radioactive exposure.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/100g-3-52oz-Pure-Potassium-Iodide-C...

edit-crazy formatting on the quote

[Edited on 1-31-2019 by arkoma]

Abromination - 30-1-2019 at 18:12

Thanks, mate. The first offer I've seen that ships to my AK zip coad.
Next time I need some I'll buy that.

arkoma - 31-1-2019 at 17:46

My local pharmacist describes the stupid laws as "swatting a gnat with a sledge hammer", but KI is a work around. Glad to be of help. LoudWolf on ebay has just about anything ya might want too, just sometimes pricey. Where I get my permanganate.

Abromination - 31-1-2019 at 18:25

Quote: Originally posted by arkoma

My local pharmacist describes the stupid laws as "swatting a gnat with a sledge hammer", but KI is a work around. Glad to be of help. LoudWolf on ebay has just about anything ya might want too, just sometimes pricey. Where I get my permanganate.

Thanks, Ill check him out. Pharmacies up here are pretty sad, you can't get much useful stuff for amateurs.

Gru - 1-2-2019 at 00:07

Does this work with H3PO4?

Tsjerk - 1-2-2019 at 00:54

Quote: Originally posted by Gru

Does this work with H3PO4?

I don't see why not. Phosphate shouldn't react with iodine and you also have no chlorine (as iodine monochloride) when too much peroxide is used. ICl will probably be lost as a liquid during filtration, but it takes iodine with it so it will reduce yield.

Mr. Rogers - 10-2-2019 at 10:10

This is such a huge waste of your time I think.

arkoma - 10-2-2019 at 15:29

I ordered it a hundred grams from above link. Extended ship time, I'll post when I get it.

*Edit* 100gm of KI

[Edited on 2-10-2019 by arkoma]