| Description | Iodoform is a stable, pale yellow crystalline solid. It is volatile with a characteristic pungent,
unpleasant and penetrating odour, but with a sweetish taste. It is incompatible with strong
oxidising agents, reducing agents, lithium, and metallic salts such as mercuric oxide, silver
nitrate, strong bases, calomel, and tannin. Reports indicate that earlier iodoform was in
use as a disinfectant and as an antiseptic or dressing and healing of wounds and sores for
pets. Iodoform is the active ingredient in many antiseptic or dressing powders used for
dogs and cats to prevent infection. |
| Chemical Properties | yellow solid with a characteristic pungent and |
| Chemical Properties | Iodoform is a yellow or greenish-yellow powder or crystalline
solid that is volatile with steam and contains 96.69%
iodine. It has a very characteristic pungent odor. An odor
threshold of 0.005 ppm has been reported. |
| Uses | Iodoform has limited use as a chemical intermediate and for
medicinal purposes as disinfectant and antiseptic and has
been used in veterinary medicine. |
| Uses | Triiodomethane is a crystalline compound commonly used as a disinfectant. It can be used in the process of removing heavy metals such as mercury from fuids. |
| Uses | It is used as a topical anti-infective, applied to the skin. |
| Definition | A yellow crystalline
compound made by warming ethanal with
an alkaline solution of an iodide:
CH3CHO + 3I– + 4OH– → CHI3 +
HCOO– + 3H2O
The reaction also occurs with all ketones of
general formula CH3COR (R is an alkyl
group) and with secondary alcohols
CH3CH(OH)R. Iodoform is used as a test
for such reactions (the iodoform reaction). |
| General Description | Bright yellow or yellow powder or crystals. Penetrating odor. Unctuous touch. Odor threshold 0.4 ppb. |
| Air & Water Reactions | Insoluble in water. |
| Reactivity Profile | Iodoform decomposes at high temperatures. Decomposes slowly in light at room temperature. Reacts violently with lithium. Is incompatible with mercuric oxide, calomel, silver nitrate, tannin, and balsam Peru. Is also incompatible with strong bases, strong oxidizing agents and magnesium. Vigorous reactions occur with acetone in the presence of solid potassium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide, hexamethylenetetramine at 352° F, mercury(I) fluoride and finely divided reduced silver. |
| Hazard | Irritant. Decomposes violently at 400F
(204C). |
| Health Hazard | Iodoform causes central nervous
system depression and damage to the kidneys,
liver, and heart. |
| Fire Hazard | Literature sources indicate that Iodoform is nonflammable. |
| Biochem/physiol Actions | Iodoform is an iodine containing compound, which is used in antiseptic applications in the medical and veterinary medicine fields. Iodoform improves fermentation in the biomass ensilage conversion system by improving lactic acid production and inhibiting butyric fermentation. |
| Carcinogenicity | Iodoform has been included in
the NCI daily bioassay program. According to their
summary: the high and low time-weighted average daily
dosages of iodoform were, respectively, 142 and 71 mg/kg
for male rats, 55 and 27 mg/kg for female rats, and 93 and
47 mg/kg for male and female mice. A significant positive
association between dosage and mortality was observed in
male rats but not in female rats or in mice of either sex.
Adequate numbers of animals in all groups survived sufficiently
long to be at risk from late-developing tumors. No
statistical significance could be attributed to the incidences of
any neoplasms in rats or mice of either sex when compared
to their respective controls. Under the conditions of this
bioassay, no convincing evidence was provided for the
carcinogenicity of iodoform in Osborne–Mendel rats or
B6C3F1 mice. |
| Purification Methods | Crystallise it from MeOH, EtOH or EtOH/EtOAc. It is steam volatile. It is a disinfectant. [Beilstein 1 IV 97.] |
