2. The History of Potassium
What does potassium mean?
Potassium comes from the English word
potash (meaning pot ashes).
The symbol for potassium on the periodic
table (K) came from the Latin word kalium
which means alkali.
3. The History of Potassium (cont.)
Who discovered potassium?
In England during the year
1807, Sir Humphrey Davy
isolated potassium through
electrolysis with caustic
potash. He, later on, did the
same thing with sodium and
a few other elements.
4. Properties of Potassium
Potassium is a soft silver metal that can easily
be cut with a knife.
It is solid at room temperature. The boiling
point of potassium is 759°C or 1398°F. The
melting point of potassium is 63.38°C or
146.08°F.
Potassium is one of the least dense metals on
the periodic table. It has a density of 0.86
g/cc.
5. Properties (cont.)
Potassium has only 3 stable isotopes.
K-40
is a radioactive isotope that is
considered stable and is used to study the
impact of potassium in plants and in the
cardiovascular system in humans.
K-39and K-41 are considered the only two
stable nonradioactive isotopes.
6. Availability of Potassium
Potassium makes up 2.4% of the earth’s
crust. It is found in rocks, minerals, lakes,
and seas.
Potassiumis obtained by electrolysis of
hydroxide or chloride.
Metallic potassium costs about $40 a
pound.
7. Uses of Potassium
Potassium can’t really be used freely because
it oxidizes quickly with air which is why is it
commonly stored in a mineral oil, such as
kerosene.
It is a highly reactive element, so reactive that
it catches on fire when exposed to water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byrQIsmY2
A8&feature=channel_video_title
8. Uses (cont.)
Potassium is used most commonly in a
compound form. Potassium chloride is
used in fertilizers for plants. Potassium
hydroxide is used to make many soaps
and drain cleaners. Potassium can also
be used to make glass when it forms the
compound potassium carbonate.
9. Uses (cont.)
Potassium is also very important for our
bodies to function as well. Some of us
have over 100g of potassium in our body
right now.
