silver iodide

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a pale-yellow, water-insoluble solid, AgI, which darkens on exposure to light: used chiefly in medicine, photography, and artificial rainmaking.

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silver iodide British  

noun

1. a yellow insoluble powder that darkens on exposure to light: used in photography and artificial rainmaking. Formula: AgI

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silver iodide Scientific  

1. A pale-yellow, odorless powder that darkens when it is exposed to light. It is used in photography, as an antiseptic in medicine, and in cloud seeding. Chemical formula: AgI.

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Etymology

Origin of silver iodide

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

By combining advanced electron microscopy with neural networks, the team recorded a silver iodide crystal as it melted while being protected by layers of graphene.

From Science Daily • Jan. 26, 2026

It runs the nation’s biggest such program, with 187 ground generators that send silver iodide into clouds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Cloud seeding involves spraying particles such as silver iodide and salt into clouds from aircraft to trigger rain.

From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025

Cloud seeding is done by firing small particles - usually silver iodide - into clouds to produce rain.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025

I don't know how Herbert does it—maybe with silver iodide.

From Service with a Smile by Fontenay, Charles Louis