-BASICS FACTS-

>Picture of Potassium

 

Common Compounds:

  ●Potassium chloride- essential for plant growth

  ●Potassium hydroxide- assists in making ceramics,    detergents, glass, soaps, and textile dyes; occurs when reacting with water

  ●Potassium nitrate- black gunpowder and matches

  ●Potassium bromides and Iodides- used in medicine

Physical Properties:

 - melting point- 760 °C

 - boiling point- 63.7 °C

>Atomic Structure of Potassium

Fun and Interesting Facts:

- Potassium is never found as a pure metal

-Potassium salt is found in large deposits in Carlsbad, New Mexico Saskatchewan, Canada, and Stassfurt, East Germany

- leading producers of Potassium salts are:  Canada, East Germany, France, Russia, the United States, and West Germany

-0.07% of the ocean is make up of Potassium Chloride

-elemental Potassium is stored in a petroleum liquid to keep out moisture and oxygen in the air

 

 History:  Potassium was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1807.  Sir Humphry Davy was an English Chemist who is also responsible for the isolation of   sodium, calcium, barium, boron, magnesium, and strontium.  Potassium, like all alkali metals, must be kept in kerosene or some other hydrocarbon because it reacts so violently with water and oxygen.

Atomic Number:     19

Atomic Weight:    39.102

Electron Configuration:

           1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1

 

- Potassium is found in: fertilizer, fruits and vegetables (especially in bananas)

    >One of the main vitamins in Bananas is Potassium

-a Potassium deficiency in the human body is characterized by muscle weakness, fatigue, mental confusion, irritability, weakness, heart disturbances, and problems in nerve conduction and muscle contraction. This is caused by a low diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, while still high in Sodium.

-Potassium is extremely important in electrolyte function since 95% of your body's cells are made up of Potassium

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