Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K (from Neo-Latin kalium) and

atomic number 19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut
with a knife.[6] Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to form
flaky white potassium peroxide in only seconds of exposure. It was first isolated
from potash, the ashes of plants, from which its name derives. In the periodic
table, potassium is one of the alkali metals, all of which have a single valence
electron in the outer electron shell, which is easily removed to create an ion with
a positive charge (which combines with anions to form salts). In nature, potassium
occurs only in ionic salts. Elemental potassium reacts vigorously with water,
generating sufficient heat to ignite hydrogen emitted in the reaction, and burning
with a lilac-colored flame. It is found dissolved in seawater (which is 0.04%
potassium by weight),[7][8] and occurs in many minerals such as orthoclase, a
common constituent of granites and other igneous rocks.[9]

Potassium is chemically very similar to sodium, the previous element in group 1 of

the periodic table. They have a similar first ionization energy, which allows for
each atom to give up its sole outer electron. It was suspected in 1702 that they
were distinct elements that combine with the same anions to make similar salts,[10]
and this was proven in 1807 through using electrolysis. Naturally occurring
potassium is composed of three isotopes, of which 40
K is radioactive. Traces of 40
K are found in all potassium, and it is the most common radioisotope in the human
body.

Potassium ions are vital for the functioning of all living cells. The transfer of
potassium ions across nerve cell membranes is necessary for normal nerve
transmission; potassium deficiency and excess can each result in numerous signs and
symptoms, including an abnormal heart rhythm and various electrocardiographic
abnormalities. Fresh fruits and vegetables are good dietary sources of potassium.
The body responds to the influx of dietary potassium, which raises serum potassium
levels, by shifting potassium from outside to inside cells and increasing potassium
excretion by the kidneys.

Most industrial applications of potassium exploit the high solubility of its

compounds in water, such as saltwater soap. Heavy crop production rapidly depletes
the soil of potassium, and this can be remedied with agricultural fertilizers
containing potassium, accounting for 95% of global potassium chemical production.
[11]

Etymology
The English name for the element potassium comes from the word potash,[12] which
refers to an early method of extracting various potassium salts: placing in a pot
the ash of burnt wood or tree leaves, adding water, heating, and evaporating the
solution. When Humphry Davy first isolated the pure element using electrolysis in
1807, he named it potassium, which he derived from the word potash.

The symbol K stems from kali, itself from the root word alkali, which in turn comes
from Arabic: ‫ الَقْلَيه‬al-qalyah 'plant ashes'. In 1797, the German chemist Martin
Klaproth discovered "potash" in the minerals leucite and lepidolite, and realized
that "potash" was not a product of plant growth but actually contained a new
element, which he proposed calling kali.[13] In 1807, Humphry Davy produced the
element via electrolysis: in 1809, Ludwig Wilhelm Gilbert proposed the name Kalium
for Davy's "potassium".[14] In 1814, the Swedish chemist Berzelius advocated the
name kalium for potassium, with the chemical symbol K.[15]

The English and French-speaking countries adopted the name Potassium, which was
favored by Davy and French chemists Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques
Thénard, whereas the Germanic countries adopted Gilbert and Klaproth's name Kalium.
[16] The "Gold Book" of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry has
designated the official chemical symbol as K.[17]

Properties
Physical

The flame test of potassium.

Potassium is the second least dense metal after lithium. It is a soft solid with a
low melting point, and can be easily cut with a knife. Potassium is silvery in
appearance, but it begins to tarnish toward gray immediately on exposure to air.
[18] In a flame test, potassium and its compounds emit a lilac color with a peak
emission wavelength of 766.5 nanometers.[19]

Neutral potassium atoms have 19 electrons, one more than the configuration of the
noble gas argon. Because of its low first ionization energy of 418.8 kJ/mol, the
potassium atom is much more likely to lose the last electron and acquire a positive
charge, although negatively charged alkalide K− ions are not impossible.[20] In
contrast, the second ionization energy is very high (3052 kJ/mol).

Chemical
Potassium reacts with oxygen, water, and carbon dioxide components in air. With
oxygen it forms potassium peroxide. With water potassium forms potassium hydroxide
(KOH). The reaction of potassium with water can be violently exothermic, especially
since the coproduced hydrogen gas can ignite. Because of this, potassium and the
liquid sodium-potassium (NaK) alloy are potent desiccants, although they are no
longer used as such.[21]

Compounds

Structure of solid potassium superoxide (KO2).

Four oxides of potassium are well studied: potassium oxide (K2O), potassium
peroxide (K2O2), potassium superoxide (KO2)[22] and potassium ozonide (KO3). The
binary potassium-oxygen compounds react with water forming KOH.

KOH is a strong base. Illustrating its hydrophilic character, as much as 1.21 kg of

KOH can dissolve in a single liter of water.[23][24] Anhydrous KOH is rarely
encountered. KOH reacts readily with carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce potassium
carbonate (K2CO3), and in principle could be used to remove traces of the gas from
air. Like the closely related sodium hydroxide, KOH reacts with fats to produce
soaps.

In general, potassium compounds are ionic and, owing to the high hydration energy
of the K+ ion, have excellent water solubility. The main species in water solution
are the aquo complexes [K(H2O)n]+ where n = 6 and 7.[25]

Potassium heptafluorotantalate (K2[TaF7]) is an intermediate in the purification of

tantalum from the otherwise persistent contaminant of niobium.[26]

Organopotassium compounds illustrate nonionic compounds of potassium. They feature

highly polar covalent K–C bonds. Examples include benzyl potassium KCH2C6H5.
Potassium intercalates into graphite to give a variety of graphite intercalation
compounds, including KC8.

Isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of potassium
There are 25 known isotopes of potassium, three of which occur naturally: 39
K (93.3%), 40
K (0.0117%), and 41
K (6.7%) (by mole fraction). Naturally occurring 40
K has a half-life of 1.250×109 years. It decays to stable 40
Ar by electron capture or positron emission (11.2%) or to stable 40
Ca by beta decay (88.8%).[27] The decay of 40
K to 40
Ar is the basis of a common method for dating rocks. The conventional K-Ar dating
method depends on the assumption that the rocks contained no argon at the time of
formation and that all the subsequent radiogenic argon (40
Ar) was quantitatively retained. Minerals are dated by measurement of the
concentration of potassium and the amount of radiogenic 40
Ar that has accumulated. The minerals best suited for dating include biotite,
muscovite, metamorphic hornblende, and volcanic feldspar; whole rock samples from
volcanic flows and shallow instrusives can also be dated if they are unaltered.[27]
[28] Apart from dating, potassium isotopes have been used as tracers in studies of
weathering and for nutrient cycling studies because potassium is a macronutrient
required for life[29] on Earth.

40
K occurs in natural potassium (and thus in some commercial salt substitutes) in
sufficient quantity that large bags of those substitutes can be used as a
radioactive source for classroom demonstrations. 40
K is the radioisotope with the largest abundance in the human body. In healthy
animals and people, 40
K represents the largest source of radioactivity, greater even than 14
C. In a human body of 70 kg, about 4,400 nuclei of 40
K decay per second.[30] The activity of natural potassium is 31 Bq/g.[31]