The Result of Mixing Lead Nitrate And Potassium Iodide – The Reactions

There will always be a reaction whenever you mix two compounds together. So, what happens when you mix lead nitrate and potassium iodide? First, let’s find out about both of the compound.

Lead Nitrate And Potassium Iodide

Lead Nitrate is an inorganic compound which appears as a colorless crystal or white powder. Another characteristic of this compound is its solubility in water. This has been a popular compound since hundreds of years ago. It was the main ingredient of the lead paints pigment production.

Although this kind of paint was finally removed by a less toxic paint, lead nitrate is still widely used. At the beginning of the year 2000, the process of gold cyanidation has used it to improve the speed and the quantity of gold leaching.

Potassium iodide is a compound categorized as ionic. This compound has been very popular in the medical field since thousands of years ago. At the beginning, it is used in the treatment for syphilis. Nowadays, it has an important role in the human diet. Usually, table salt contains the addition of potassium iodide.

The reason behind this is its ability to help preventing iodine deficiency, especially for those consume only a little bit of seafood. Besides that, it is also a beneficial cure for treating hyperthyroidism, a condition where thyroid gland produces an extreme amount of thyroid hormones. Moreover, it can protect the thyroid gland during a treatment that uses radioactivity pharmaceutical drugs.

Potassium iodide is for sure a multifunction compound. Besides the beneficials mentioned above, it is also a popular medication for treating skin sporotrichosis and phycomycosis. Both are skin conditions caused by fungi. Just like any other drugs, potassium iodide also comes with side effects.

The forms of the side effects are varied. It can be a rash on your skin, it can make you vomit, it can cause diarrhea, headache, or even salivary glands swelling. That is why you must be careful when you decide to use it. For example, do not use this compound when you are carrying a baby because it may harm them.

Now we have learned about the compounds, both the lead nitrate and the potassium iodide. At the next part, we will find out about the result of mixing lead nitrate and potassium iodide.

What Happens When You Mix Lead Nitrate And Potassium Iodide

The common thing that happens when you mix two compounds or chemicals together is the combination of both compounds’ particles. The results of this process are two new compounds. In general, that is what happens when you mix lead nitrate with potassium iodide.

The lead nitrate, whether it is in the form of solution or powder, contains particles of lead. Meanwhile, potassium iodide, just like its name, contains particles of iodide.

Just like the above information, the result of mixing lead nitrate and potassium iodide are two new compounds. There are two solids that each has the color of yellow and white. The yellow one is lead iodide while the white one is potassium nitrate.

Experiment At Home

Whether you use the solution or the powder, you will get the same result of mixing lead nitrate and potassium iodide. But, if you want to prove it yourself, you can do this experiment at home.

Using The Solution

On this version of the experiment, you are going to need the powder of each compound, some water, and a test tube. The first thing you need to do it to make the solution. Making the solution is very easy. Just pour the powder of the compound into the test tube (make sure to pour the same amount of it!). Then, add some water into it.

The water is important to trigger the molecules and ions’ movement. When both solutions are ready, pour both of them into the tube. You will see that there are some sols suspended particles in the solution that look like clouds. This part is yellow and what we call the lead iodide. You will also find the white part, which is what we call the lead iodide.

If you want to experiment more, you can try to heat the solutions. The result is the dissolve of the lead nitrate. After this process, let the solutions cool down and you will find it crystallized slowly until finally forms large crystals.

Using The Powder

The most common form of compound to be used in an experiment is the liquid and the gas. It is because both forms have looser molecules in comparison with the solid form. Because the molecules are loose, it can move and collide freely with each other. The solid form shows total opposite. Its molecules are packed tightly, hence the inability to move and collide freely.

Inspite of that, you can still experiment with the powder of both lead nitrate and potassium iodide. Just pour both of them into the test tube (with the same amount!) and shake the tube. The result, just like the experiment when you use solutions, is a yellow powder.