Calcium iodate is any of two

inorganic compound An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''. Inorgan ...

s with the formula Ca(IO₃)₂(H₂O)_x, where x = 0 or 1. Both are colourless salts that occur as the minerals lautarite and bruggenite, respectively. A third mineral form of calcium iodate is dietzeite, a salt containing chromate with the formula Ca₂(IO₃)₂CrO₄. These minerals are the most common compounds containing iodate.

Production and uses

Lautarite, described as ''the'' most important mineral source of iodine, is mined in the

Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of , which increases to if the barre ...

. Processing of the ore entails reduction of its aqueous extracts with

sodium bisulfite Sodium bisulfite (or sodium bisulphite, sodium hydrogen sulfite) is a chemical mixture with the approximate chemical formula NaHSO3. Sodium bisulfite is not a real compound, but a mixture of salts that dissolve in water to give solutions compose ...

to give

sodium iodide Sodium iodide (chemical formula NaI) is an ionic compound formed from the chemical reaction of sodium metal and iodine. Under standard conditions, it is a white, water-soluble solid comprising a 1:1 mix of sodium cations (Na+) and iodide anions ...

. This comproportionation reaction is a major source of the sodium iodide. Calcium iodate can be produced by the anodic oxidation of calcium iodide or by passing

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between ...

into a hot solution of lime in which

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

has been dissolved. Calcium iodate is used as an iodine supplement in chicken feed. Ethylenediamine dihydroiodide (EDDI) is a more typical source of nutritional

References

{{Iodates Antiseptics Calcium compounds Iodates Oxidizing agents