Measurements of iodine uptake in falling water droplets

The removal of gaseous iodine from air by water sprays was measured, using both ordinary water and a solution buffered to a pH near 9.5 with a carbonate mixture. The results were compared to the theoretical predictions of the I2WASH computer code. In all experiments, using both large and small spray droplets, the solution at the higher pH was approximately three times as effective at absorbing iodine from the air. This agrees with the predictions of the computer model for the smaller droplets studied. The computer code predicts no pH effect for large drops, probably because it assumes a well-mixed drop, and mixing during the fall time is too slow