who discovered iodine

Iodine was discovered in 1811 by the French saltpetre manufacturer and chemist Bernard Courtois.

Quick Scoop

• Bernard Courtois noticed a strange violet vapor while processing seaweed ash for saltpetre, which condensed into dark crystals later recognized as the new element iodine.

• The element was soon investigated and characterized by prominent chemists such as Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Humphry Davy, but credit for the discovery itself goes to Courtois.

TL;DR: Bernard Courtois accidentally discovered iodine in 1811 while working with seaweed residues for gunpowder production in France.

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