Potash

Potash (or carbonate of potash) is an impure form of potassium carbonate (K2CO3) mixed with other potassium salts. Potash has been used since antiquity in the manufacture of glass and soap, and as a fertilizer. The name comes from the English words pot and ash, referring to its discovery in the water-soluble fraction of wood ash.

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It is today principally produced by mining suitable deposits which are found throughout the world.

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The term has become somewhat ambiguous due to the substitution in fertilizers of cheaper potassium salts such as potassium chloride (KCl) or potassium oxide (K2O), to which the same common name is now sometimes also applied. In addition, potassium hydroxide (KOH) is commonly called "caustic potash", an additional source of confusion.

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The element potassium derives its English name from potash. A number of chemical compounds containing potassium use the word potash in their traditional names:

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Potassium carbonate: Potassium carbonate is a white salt, soluble in water (insoluble in alcohol), which forms a strongly alkaline solution. It can be made as the product of potassium hydroxide's absorbant reaction with carbon dioxide. It is a deliquescent (usually damp or wet) solid, used in the production of soap and ...

K: The eleventh letter of the Latin alphabet, K, or k comes from the Greek Κ or κ (Kappa) developed from the Semitic Kap, symbol for an open hand....

Antiquity: Antiquity means different things:...