Potassium information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its high purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
 Potassium is the seventh most abundant element on earth. In its metallic form it is one of the most reactive and electropositive of all metals and rapidly oxidizes. As with other metals of the alkali group, the metal decomposes in water with the evolution of hydrogen. It catches fire spontaneously in water. In high purity, potassium compounds have numerous pharmacological, medical, and electronics applications. Important compounds include the hydroxide, nitrate, carbonate, chloride, bromide, iodide, and sulfate. Lower purity compounds are used in pyrotechnics for its violet color on ignition and in glass and ceramic glazes to produce this color. Potassium also used as a nutrient in plant growth.
Potassium facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are
available for many specific states, forms and shapes on the product pages listed to the left. Elemental or metallic forms include pellets, rod, wire and granules for evaporation source material purposes. Nanoparticles and nanopowders provide ultra high surface area which nanotechnology research and recent experiments demonstrate function to create new and unique properties and benefits.
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Potassium is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries.
Potassium is a Block S, Group 1, Period 4 element. The number of electrons in each of Potassium's shells is 2, 8, 8, 1 and its electronic configuration is [Ar] 4s1. In its elemental form potassium's CAS number is 7440-09-7. The potassium atom has a radius of 227.2 .pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 275.pm. Potassium is not toxic.
 All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, thin fillm deposition using sputtering targets and evaporation materials, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology applications. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Potassium compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis.
Potassium was first discovered by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1807. The origin of the element name comes from the English word 'potash' meaning pot ashes and the Arabic word 'qali' which means alkali. The symbol K originates from the Latin word 'kalium'.
 potassium |
 Kalium |
 potassio |
 Potássio |
 potasio |
 Kalium |
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of potassium and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope.
| Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
| K-39 |
38.9637068 |
93.26 |
| K-40 |
39.9639987 |
0.01 |
| K-41 |
40.9618260 |
6.73 |
The following table shows the abundance of Potassium present in the human body and in the universe scaled to parts per billion (ppb) by weight and by atom:
| |
Typical Human Body |
Universe |
| by Weight |
2000000 ppb |
3000 ppb |
| by Atom |
320000 ppb |
100 ppb |
Safety Data and Biological Role. The safety data for potassium metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin. Potassium compounds play an important biological role. The potassium cation is the major cation in intracellular fluids and is essential for nerve and heart function.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for potassium (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table:
| 1st Ionization Energy |
418.81 kJ mol-1 |
| 2nd Ionization Energy |
3051.85 kJ mol-1 |
| 3rd Ionization Energy |
4419.64 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to potassium's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 6.15 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 0.82. The thermal conductivity of potassium is 102 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for potassium are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization.
| Heat of Fusion |
2.4 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Vaporization |
79.1 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Atomization |
90.14 kJ mol-1 |
Recent Research & Development for Potassium
Kv7 Channels Can Function without Constitutive Calmodulin Tethering.
Gómez-Posada JC, Aivar P, Alberdi A, Alaimo A, Etxeberría A, Fernández-Orth J, Zamalloa T, Roura-Ferrer M, Villace P, Areso P, Casis O, Villarroel A.
PLoS One. 2011;6(9):e25508. Epub 2011 Sep 28.
PMID:
21980481
[PubMed - in process]
Hydrogen Sulfide as Endothelium-Derived Hyperpolarizing Factor Sulfhydrates Potassium Channels.
Mustafa AK, Sikka G, Gazi SK, Steppan J, Jung SM, Bhunia AK, Barodka VM, Gazi FK, Barrow RK, Wang R, Amzel LM, Berkowitz DE, Snyder SH.
Circ Res. 2011 Oct 6. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21980127
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Effects of pH on Potassium: New Explanations for Old Observations.
Aronson PS, Giebisch G.
J Am Soc Nephrol. 2011 Oct 6. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21980112
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Factors which determine the duration of follower potentials in longitudinal smooth muscle isolated from the guinea-pig stomach antrum.
Shigemasa Y, Kito Y, Hashitani H, Suzuki H.
J Smooth Muscle Res. 2011;47(3-4):89-110.
PMID:
21979408
[PubMed - in process]
Cloning and Characterization of Catalases from Rice, Oryza sativa L.
Wutipraditkul N, Boonkomrat S, Buaboocha T.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2011 Oct 7. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21979082
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Synthesis and preliminary evaluation of amiloride analogs as inhibitors of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA).
Matthews H, Ranson M, Tyndall JD, Kelso MJ.
Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2011 Sep 18. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21978672
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Metabolic changes during a field experiment in a world-class windsurfing athlete: a trial with multivariate analyses.
Resende NM, de Magalhães Neto AM, Bachini F, de Castro LE, Bassini A, Cameron LC.
OMICS. 2011 Oct;15(10):695-704.
PMID:
21978397
[PubMed - in process]
Effects of elevated seawater pCO2 on gene expression patterns in the gills of the green crab, Carcinus maenas.
Fehsenfeld S, Kiko R, Appelhans Y, Towle DW, Zimmer M, Melzner F.
BMC Genomics. 2011 Oct 6;12(1):488. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21978240
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Partial ABCC8 gene deletion mutations causing diazoxide-unresponsive hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia.
Flanagan S, Damhuis A, Banerjee I, Rokicki D, Jefferies C, Kapoor R, Hussain K, Ellard S.
Pediatr Diabetes. 2011 Oct 7. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-5448.2011.00821.x. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21978130
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Noise reduction in spectral CT: Reducing dose and breaking the trade-off between image noise and energy bin selection.
Leng S, Yu L, Wang J, Fletcher JG, Mistretta CA, McCollough CH.
Med Phys. 2011 Sep;38(9):4946.
PMID:
21978039
[PubMed - in process]
The prevalence of interdigital erythrasma in southern region of Turkey.
Inci M, Serarslan G, Ozer B, Inan MU, Evirgen O, Erkaslan Alagoz G, Duran N.
J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2011 Oct 7. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2011.04293.x. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21977942
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
The roles of the cation transporters CHX21 and CHX23 in the development of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Evans AR, Hall D, Pritchard J, Newbury HJ.
J Exp Bot. 2011 Oct 5. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21976771
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Hypercalciuria Associated with High Dietary Protein Intake Is Not Due to Acid Load.
Maalouf NM, Moe OW, Adams-Huet B, Sakhaee K.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Oct 5. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21976719
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Mutation of the gastric hydrogen-potassium ATPase alpha subunit causes iron-deficiency anemia in mice.
Krieg L, Milstein O, Krebs P, Xia Y, Beutler B, Du X.
Blood. 2011 Oct 5. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21976678
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Ion transporting proteins of human bronchial epithelium.
Toczylowska-Maminska R, Dolowy K.
J Cell Biochem. 2011 Oct 4. doi: 10.1002/jcb.23393. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21975871
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
The effects of cannabidiolic acid and cannabidiol on contractility of the gastrointestinal tract of Suncus murinus.
Cluny NL, Naylor RJ, Whittle BA, Javid FA.
Arch Pharm Res. 2011 Sep;34(9):1509-17. Epub 2011 Oct 6.
PMID:
21975813
[PubMed - in process]
Nerve growth factor enhances the excitability of rat sensory neurons through activation of the atypical protein kinase C isoform, PKM{zeta}
Zhang Y, Kays J, Hodgdon KE, Sacktor TC, Nicol GD.
J Neurophysiol. 2011 Oct 5. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21975456
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Prognostic significance of biochemical markers in African Burkitt's lymphoma.
Arthur FK, Owusu L, Yeboah FA, Rettig T, Osei-Akoto A.
Clin Transl Oncol. 2011 Oct;13(10):731-6.
PMID:
21975335
[PubMed - in process]
Formulating a new basis for the treatment against botulinum neurotoxin intoxication: 3,4-Diaminopyridine prodrug design and characterization.
Zakhari JS, Kinoyama I, Hixon MS, Di Mola A, Globisch D, Janda KD.
Bioorg Med Chem. 2011 Sep 14. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21975066
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Shape-tailoring and catalytic function of anisotropic gold nanostructures.
Premkumar T, Lee K, Geckeler KE.
Nanoscale Res Lett. 2011 Oct 5;6(1):547. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21974964
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
|
| Formula |
Atomic Number |
Molecular Weight |
Electronegativity (Pauling) |
Density |
Melting Point |
Boiling Point |
Vanderwaals radius |
Ionic radius |
Energy of first ionization |
| K |
19 |
39.0983 g.mol -1 |
0.8 |
0.86 g.cm-3 at 0 °C |
63.2 °C |
760 °C |
275.pm |
0.133 (+1) nm |
418.81 kJ.mol-1 |
|
