Solution:

Potassium iodate is often used as a reference material to standardize a sodium thiosulfate solution which is a familiar titrant for redox titrations.

In the standardization, iodine (triiodide) liberated by potassium iodate in an acidic potassium iodide solution is titrated with a sodium thiosulfate solution.

The iodine liberation process is significantly affected by the amount of acid, that of potassium iodide added, the waiting time for the liberation, and light; therefore, the process plays a key role for the accuracy of the titration results.