Bromine - Occurrence

Occurrence

The diatomic element Br₂ does not occur naturally. Instead, bromine exists exclusively as bromide salts in diffuse amounts in crustal rock. Owing to leaching, bromide salts have accumulated in sea water at 65 part per million (ppm), which is less than chloride. Bromine may be economically recovered from bromide-rich brine wells and from the Dead Sea waters (up to 50,000 ppm). It exists in the Earth's crust at an average concentration of 0.4 ppm, making it the 62nd most abundant element. The bromine concentration in soils varies normally between 5 and 40 ppm, but some volcanic soils can contain up to 500 ppm. The concentration of bromine in the atmosphere is extremely low, at only a few ppt. A large number of organobromine compounds are found in small amounts in nature.

China's bromine reserves are located in the Shandong Province and Israel's bromine reserves are contained in the waters of the Dead Sea. The largest bromine reserve in the United States is located in Columbia County and Union County, Arkansas, U.S.