Iodite

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Iodite is the iodite ion, also called iodine dioxide. Its formula is IO2−, and the iodine is in the +3 oxidation state. Iodites are extremely unstable and have only been observed as very short‑lived species in experiments; they don’t exist as stable compounds. They quickly break down into molecular iodine (I2) and iodate (IO3−), and they can appear briefly during the chemical process that converts iodide (I−) to iodate (IO3−).

In iodine chemistry, iodine can have several oxidation states: −1, +1, +3, +5, and +7. There are also various neutral iodine oxides known.