potassium

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Explore an interactive periodic table of the elements

first ionization energies of the elements

Learn about the underground beds of potash deposits in Germany

Observe the drilling and blasting work in a potash mine in Germany

For Students

potassium summary

Read Next

Alcoholic beverages bottles at Host 2013, international exhibition of the hospitality industry on OCTOBER 18, 2013 in Milan.

Why Is Alcohol Measured by Proof?

curly kale. Kale or borecole (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group) a loose leafed, edible plant derived from the cabbage. vegetable

Nutritional Powerhouses: 8 Foods That Pack a Nutritional Punch

Buddha bowl - vegetarian meal - tofu spinach carrots chickpeas radish tomatoes cucumber cabbage

Pro and Con: Vegetarianism

Above the clouds 130 nautical miles below, astronaut Mark C. Lee floats freely without tethers as he tests the new Simplified Aid for Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Spacewalk Rescue (SAFER) system, Sept. 16, 1994. Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-64

Gravity: From Apples to the Universe

Overhead view of high protein foods: chicken, meat, spinach, eggs, nuts, bean, cheese. (nutrition, health, food, diet)

Why Is Eating Protein Important?

Discover

Julius Caesar in full Gaius Julius Caesar (100? BCE-44 BCE) statue in Rimini, Italy. Roman general and statesman and dictator

The Time Julius Caesar Was Captured by Pirates

General Pershing's troops moving into Mexico in 1917 during World War I.

Timeline of World War I

Solar Eclipse, Eclipse, Solar Flare, Outer Space, Astronomy

What Causes Lunar and Solar Eclipses?

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.

10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci

Artist interpretation of a Space meteoroid impact. Meteor impact. Asteroid, End of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Planet Earth, Doomsday Predictions, comet

10 Failed Doomsday Predictions

Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C. c. 1921-1923. Physicist

The Solar Eclipse That Made Albert Einstein a Science Celebrity

solar eclipse, sun, moon, astronomy, space

How Do You Tell the Difference Between Total, Annular, Solar, and Lunar Eclipses?

Science & Tech

potassium

chemical element

Also known as: K, kalium

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 1, 2024 • Article History

Potassium

See all media

Category: Science & Tech

Key People:: Sir Humphry Davy; Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac

Related Topics:: chemical element; human nutrition; alkali metal; potassium deficiency; potassium-40

See all related content →

potassium (K), chemical element of Group 1 (Ia) of the periodic table, the alkali metal group, indispensable for both plant and animal life. Potassium was the first metal to be isolated by electrolysis, by the English chemist Sir Humphry Davy, when he obtained the element (1807) by decomposing molten potassium hydroxide (KOH) with a voltaic battery. atomic number 19 atomic weight 39.098 melting point 63.28 °C (145.90 °F) boiling point 760 °C (1,400 °F) specific gravity 0.862 (at 20 °C, or 68 °F) oxidation states +1, −1 (rare) electron configuration 2-8-8-1 or 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶4s¹ Potassium metal is soft and white with ...(100 of 1441 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.