Final answer:
Iodinated contrast media are water soluble and designed for safe intravascular injection for medical imaging, unlike elemental iodine that has limited solubility in water. These media contain iodine atoms for absorbing X-rays effectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, iodinated contrast media are generally water soluble. These contrast media are used in medical imaging to enhance the visibility of structures or fluids within the body in radiographic techniques such as computed tomography (CT) scans. Iodinated contrast media are compounds that contain iodine atoms, which are highly effective at absorbing X-rays.
While elemental iodine (I2) dissolves only slightly in water, forming a brown solution, iodinated contrast agents are specifically designed to be soluble in water, making them safe for intravascular injection. This solubility is an important property, as it allows the contrast media to be distributed throughout the body and eventually excreted by the kidneys.
It's important to differentiate between iodinated contrast agents and elemental iodine, which has different solubility properties. Elemental iodine is soluble in chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and carbon disulfide, giving violet solutions, but it is quite soluble in aqueous solutions of iodides because it can form a charge-transfer complex with the iodide ion.