High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Methyl iodide, also called iodomethane, and commonly abbreviated "MeI", is the chemical compound with the formula CH3I. It is a dense, colorless, volatile liquid. In terms of chemical structure, it is related to methane by replacement of one hydrogen atom by an atom of iodine. It is naturally emitted by rice plantations in small amounts. It is also produced in vast quantities estimated to be greater than 214,000 tons annually by algae and kelp in the world`s temperate oceans and in lesser amounts on land due to terrestrial fungi and bacteria. Methyl iodide is used in organic synthesis as a source of methyl groups, and was approved for use as a pesticide by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2007. Iodomethane is a pre-plant biocide used to control insects, plant parasitic nematodes, soil borne pathogens, and weed seeds. The compound is registered for use as a preplant soil treatment for field grown strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, stone fruits, tree nuts, grape vines, ornamentals and turf and nursery grown strawberries, stone fruits, tree nuts, and conifer trees.