Potassium

Potassium is a 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, is very reactive, especially in water, and resembles sodium chemically.

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With a density less than that of water, potassium is the second lightest metal after lithium. It is a soft solid that can easily be cut with a knife and is silvery in color on fresh surfaces. It oxidizes in air rapidly and must be stored in mineral oil or kerosene for preservation.

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Similar to other alkali metals, potassium reacts violently with water producing hydrogen. When in water, it may catch fire spontaneously. Its salts emit a violet color when exposed to a flame.

Chemical element: A chemical element, often called simply element, is the class of atoms which contain the same number of protons....

Periodic table: The periodic table of the chemical elements, also called the Mendeleev periodic table, is a tabular display of the known chemical elements. First created by Dmitri Mendeleev, the elements are arranged by electron configuration so that many chemical properties follow a regular pattern across the tabl...

L.: REDIRECT Carl Linnaeus...

Potassium related Images and Photos (experimental)

Fluorine Uranium Carbon Potassium