Chemical studies on Indian Seaweeds I. Mineral Constituents

Abstract

There is practically no reference which gives a complete account of the mineral constituents of the commercial seaweeds and their relationship with the organic constituents or on the- ionic exchanges taking place between the algae and the surrounding water. The early attempts to utilize seaweeds for the manufacture of potash and iodine provide some data on the amounts of these elements and their seasonal variations in particular species. Work on British seaweeds has shown (Chapman, 1950) that the changes in the iodine content are nearly directly proportional to the potash and that the amount of these nutrients in the living plant varies from month to month.