mewrox99 - 9-6-2010 at 17:59
Does anyone know where I can buy Potassium Iodide from in New Zealand. Checked trademe and found nothing.
psychokinetic - 9-6-2010 at 18:38
Is it not practical to use iodine and potassium hydroxide?
try:
http://www.totallab.co.nz/search.asp?sstring=potassium+iodid...
You'll have to make an account with them, but I didn't see anything specifying that you had to be an educational or research institute or anything.
EDIT: Speaking of trademe, have you tried asking countingsheep1 if he ever has any? He has lots of bulk chemicals, including the other potassium
compounds. Even some KNO3 if you want to remove a few trees 
[Edited on 10-6-2010 by psychokinetic]
Ephoton - 9-6-2010 at 20:20
hehe kiwi counting sheep hehe.
JohnWW - 10-6-2010 at 10:29
Several years ago, I bought some KI from a local pharmacy, intending to use it in some non-iodized culinary salt.
psychokinetic - 10-6-2010 at 12:54
Health stores and vets sell it as a supplement, but unfortunately I could not find any bulk places. Surely places like RD1 would have it.
uchiacon - 16-9-2010 at 02:28
I phoned RD1, but they sell it mixed in with other ingredients in a stock solution of 20L. For $200.
I phoned the industrial chem supplier and they sell it in 25kg pails for some $70/kg. They do not do smaller sizes.
The few pharmacies that did sell it sold it in 50g-100g quantities for $100 and $150 respectively. I've tried a few vets, but they also sell it in
solution for exorbitant prices for budgies, or some useless creature like that 
I was just wanting to find some KI to synthesize a bit of iodine as an interesting experiment, but I am not willing to spend over $40 to do so...
I tend to be best at finding chemicals when I know their industrial uses. Does anyone have any other ideas for where KI or NaI is used?
woelen - 16-9-2010 at 03:28
KI is used in photography and many photography raw chemical suppliers sell this chemical for around $20 per 100 gram. It is a relatively expensive
chemical, but $100 ... $150 per 100 gram is ridiculous.
Sometimes it is available on eBay (look internationally) for decent prices. KI is not a dangerous chemical and it can be shipped without problem
internationally and without hazmat fees.
zed - 16-9-2010 at 19:29
In the U.S., some Nutritional Supplement Companies, sell KI. It is an antidote for radiation exposure.
About $50.00 US, will get 250 Grams, delivered to your home in NZ, via International Flat-Rate Priority Mail.
Pure Bulk, claims they would be happy to post you some.
http://purebulk.com/potassium-iodide
[Edited on 17-9-2010 by zed]
uchiacon - 17-9-2010 at 00:44
hey man, thanks for the effort there.
Don't know if I'll buy any though, for the purpose it'll be used for, I can't justify the cost. It'll probably be a one off kinda thing, and it's not
as if I will be using iodine on a regular basis...*cough*methcooks.
I'm just wondering where else it could be found... is it a common feedstock in the chemical industry? KMnO4 is used in purifying water with high iron
content, but regretfully I do not think KI has a similar use. We don't have enough enemies here in NZ to need to stock it though.
I've just found a food ingrediant supplier in Auckland, so I will have to try them. But this isn't looking promising.
[Edited on 04-07-09 by uchiacon]
psychokinetic - 17-9-2010 at 12:35
Considering the difficulty in obtaining it here, that $50US is looking pretty shiny.
zed - 17-9-2010 at 20:32
Got a better listed price at Firefox, but I don't know if they have it in stock now. And, I don't know what their shipping policy is.
34.50 US/LB
http://www.firefox-fx.com/ChemN-P.htm
Considering what regular chemical suppliers are charging for reagents, and the exorbitant shipping rates in much of the world. Ordering from the US,
and shipping via USPS, International Flat Rate Priority Shipping......Ain't a bad option.
The only caution would be....Be careful what you order. For all of our bitching and groaning....We can freely buy a lot of things in the US....That
are strictly verboten elsewhere.
Note...In their "Surplus" chemical listings.....These folks would be happy to ship you an unlimited amount of Hexamine, no questions asked. In much
of the world, that just isn't done.
Also worth noting. Some items that are restricted for delivery in the US, might be perfectly OK to export into NZ.
[Edited on 18-9-2010 by zed]
Rogeryermaw - 20-9-2010 at 20:06
try a farmer's co-op. some of them sell strong iodine solutions for horses for hoof rot from which the iodine can be extracted. not potassium iodide
but if its just for the science it's still a chemical procedure that can be fun.
mewrox99 - 21-9-2010 at 01:01
I managed to get 50g of the pharmacy stuff on trademe for $24 a while back,
I did find a company known as Livestock Supplies (livestocksupplies.co.nz) This was the prices they quoted
Sodium Iodide $94.00 per kg
Potassium Iodate $62.00 per Kg
$62 is a quite good price for 1kg of KIO3 but I have no idea of the quality of the products.
SWilkin676 - 21-9-2010 at 08:07
Be sure you ask about chemical purity when you are buying - even from places that are selling it for pyro. We ordered hexamine from a pyro and it had
some sort of cellulose filler that made it useless for synthesis.