Zinc iodide is a chemical compound of zinc and iodine, ZnI
2. The anhydrous form is white and readily absorbs water from the atmosphere. It can be prepared by the direct reaction of zinc and iodine in refluxing ether or by reacting zinc with iodine in aqueous solution:
Zn + I
2- ZnI
2
At 1150 °C, zinc iodide vapour dissociates into zinc and iodine.
In aqueous solution the following have been detected, octahedral Zn(H2O)62+, [ZnI(H2O)5]+ and tetrahedral ZnI2(H2O)2, ZnI3(H2O)- and ZnI42.
