1777–1838
Bernard Courtois
Discovered iodine in 1811.
On the timeline
Iodine is announced
Nicolas Clément showed the Institute in Paris a substance Bernard Courtois had found in seaweed ash, which gave off a superb violet vapour when warmed. Courtois had first seen it two years earlier.
On this day, 29 NovemberRSC Education
Element
53IIodine
1811
In 1811 Bernard Courtois, who made saltpetre in Paris, added acid to seaweed ash and saw violet fumes condense into dark shiny crystals. Others proved it was an element, named iodine from the Greek for violet.
Keep exploring
Where the dates and stories on this page come from; each event on the timeline links to its own source.
- Bernard CourtoisEncyclopaedia Britannica
- IodineRoyal Society of Chemistry
- Bernard CourtoisWikipedia