Used in medicine for the treatment of iodine deficiency and as an expectorant in cough medications. Commonly employed in radiation detection due to its scintillation properties, especially when doped with thallium, making it ideal for gamma-ray spectroscopy and nuclear imaging. Utilized in organic synthesis as a source of iodide ions, facilitating various nucleophilic substitution reactions. Also applied in the food industry as a nutritional supplement in iodized salt to prevent goiter and other thyroid-related disorders.