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Appearance white crystalline powder | ||
Ammonium iodate is an inorganic salt which is sparingly soluble in cold, and moderately soluble in hot water, like all iodate salts, it's a strong oxidizer.
Contents
Preperation
Ammonium iodate can be obtained by neutralising a solution of iodic acid with ammonia.
HIO3 + NH3 → NH4IO3Using it's low solubility in water, it can also be precipitated from an iodate solution with an ammonium salt.
HIO3 + (NH4)2SO4 → NH4IO3 + K2SO4Unlike other iodates, ammonium iodate can't be prepared by dissolving iodine in an ammonium hydroxide solution, instead the highly explosive nitrogen triiodide is formed.
3 I2 + 5 NH3 → 3 NH4I + NH3*NI3Chemical properties
Because ammonium iodate consists of the reducing ammonium ion and the oxidizing iodate ion, it already starts to decompose at 150 °C into nitrogen, oxygen, iodine and water.
NH4IO3 → N2 + O2 + I2 + H2OBelow 60 °C this reaction can't sustain itself, but with catalysts like potassium dichromate or copper(II) chloride it can also combust at room temperature.
Safety
Like all iodates, ammonium iodate is a strong oxidizer and should therefor be kept away from flammable materials like sulfur, phosphorus and metals powders