Potassium

Name:Potassium
Symbol: K (from Neo-Latin kalium)
Atomic Number: 19
Atomic Mass: 39.0983 atomic mass units
Density:.862 grams per cubic centimetre
Normal Phase: Solid
Family: Alkali Metals
Period: 4

Number of Protons : 19
Number of Neutrons : 20
Number of Electrons: 19

Freezing Point:63.38 C
Melting Point: 336.7 K
(63.5 °C, 146.3 °F)
Boiling Point:1032K
(759 C,1398 F)
 Potassium is metallic and silvery white. It is soft, waxy and can easily
be cut with a knife. Potassium has
a lilac colored flame and burns when in contact with water. It reacts
with oxygen to form potassium superoxide (KO2) and with water to form
potassium hydroxide (KOH), hydrogen gas and heat. Enough heat is
produced to ignite the hydrogen gas.
Origin of Name : From the English word potash, meaning pot ashes,
and the Arabic word qali, meaning alkali. The
symbol K comes from the Latin word kalium,
meaning alkali.

Date and Place of Discovery In 1807 in London, England

 Discovered by Sir Humphry Davy

Common Uses
 Soaps
 Glassware
 Explosives
 Matches
 Heat-transfer System
 Helps human metabolism

" Interesting Facts

 It was the first metal to be isolated using electrolysis.
 It catches fire when exposed to water.
 It burns with a violet flame.
 It is found in all living plant and animal cell
 The human body uses it to promote regular heartbeat,
help build muscles, regulate blood pressure, and control
the water balances in body tissues and cells.
 A diet low in potassium and high in sodium can lead to high
blood pressure.

Who knew?
 Low potassium in the body is called hypokalemia.
Symptoms include muscle cramps, weakness and irregular heartbeat,
according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
High potassium, called hyperkalemia, causes similar symptoms.
 Sounds fun: According to Humphry Davy's lab assistant,
the scientist reacted with glee when he discovered his new element.
"I have been told by Mr. Edmund Davy, his relative and assistant …
that when he saw the minute globules of potassium burst through
the crust of potash, and take fire as they entered the atmosphere
[Humphry Davy] could not contain his joy — he actually danced about the
room in ecstatic delight," John Davy wrote in his of
the life of Sir Humphry Davy."
 Potassium pearls (in Potassium Vitamins Rich
paraffin oil) Foods
East or West
Potassium is the Best

Common Uses
.Soap
.Glassware
.Explosive
.Matches
.Heat-transfer System
.Help human metabolism