Potassium is the chemical element in the periodic table. It has the symbol K (L. kalium) and atomic number 19. The name "potassium" comes from the word "potash", as potassium was first isolated from potash. Potassium is a soft silvery-white metallic alkali metal that occurs naturally bound to other elements in seawater and many minerals. It oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive, especially toward water. In many respects, potassium and sodium are chemically similar.
Notable characteristics
With a density less than that of water, potassium is the second least dense metal after
lithium. It is a soft, low-melting solid that can easily be cut with a knife. Freshly cut potassium is silvery in appearance but it quickly tarnishes. It
oxidizes in
air rapidly and thus should be protected for storage. Often samples are maintained under an inert medium such as kerosene.
Similar to other alkali metals but more so than Li and Na, potassium reacts violently with water producing hydrogen. The reaction is sufficiently exothermic that the evolved hydrogen gas ignites. Potassium and its compounds emit a violet color in a flame. This fact is the basis of the flame test for the presence of potassium in a sample.
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