Potassium Iodide, KI, is an inorganic chemical compound. Among the major uses of Potassium Iodide is the use as a nutritional supplement in animal feeds and also the human diet. For the latter, it is the most common additive used to “iodize” table salt.
Potassium Iodide is also used in pharmaceutical applications where it is given in tablet form for emergency purposes related to blockade of radioiodine uptake, a common form of radiation poisoning due to environmental contamination by the short-lived fission product iodine-135.
Furthermore, Potassium Iodide is a component in some disinfectants and hair treatment chemicals, and it is also used as a fluorescence quenching agent in biomedical research.