103 Facts About Potassium Explained For Kids To Understand

118 elements have been discovered so far and on the periodic table of elements.

The atomic number of potassium is 19 on the periodic table. It is symbolized by the letter K on the periodic table, which comes from Neo-Latin Kalium.

Potassium, apart from being an element in nature, is also vital to all living cells. Potassium ion transmission is necessary for normal nerve transmissions, with fresh fruits and vegetables an excellent source for it.

Industrial applications of potassium involve its solubility in water, for example, potassium soaps. Not dense by nature, it is a soft solid and has a low melting point.

Silver in color, the element potassium can easily be cut with a knife. Potassium has many uses and is found in the human body as the ninth most common element by mass, which is 0.2%, on an average that is around (0.004 oz) 120 mg of potassium.

Elemental potassium cannot occur in nature as it is a highly reactive metal, however, when mixed with other types of elements and rocks, it can be found in nature. Granite, sylvite, orthoclase are some important types of minerals where potassium is observed.

After reading all the fun facts about Potassium, also check the facts about plastic and 3 magnetic metals. 

Fun Facts About Potassium

Potassium reacts heavily to water, as it was observed that it might burst into flames like sodium, and it melts and floats, giving off a beautiful lilac flame. It is kept away from water for this reason, and potassium reacts to air very quickly, hence should be handled carefully.

Potassium, when smelled, has a faint almond-like odor, and has a boiling point of a whopping 1398 F (758.9 C)! The first discovery of potassium occurred in 1807, by Sir Humphry Davy as he was famous for his electrolysis elements.

He would place common elements into electrolysis and collect samples of what was collected at the electrodes, hence the founding of potassium. It is named after potash, or potassium hydroxide, as it was isolated from it.

More interesting facts about potassium include potassium hydroxide is formed by soaking wood ashes in water; potassium’s boiling point is very high as mentioned whereas the melting point is only 146.3 F (63.5 C); potassium ions found in living cells are present in proteins and enzymes.

As spoken about several times, the pure element of potassium is not found in free form in nature as its melting point is very low as well as its reactivity, however, it is a very abundant element in the earth's crust. As the eighth more abundant element in the earth's crust, it makes up about 2.1% of it.

Scientific Facts About Potassium

Potash, or potassium hydroxide, the original substance from which potassium was derived, is mined using something called solution mining. Underground mining is done from sea beds, where the bed is taken out and then it is mined, how cool is that?

As talked about, potassium is a vital element for the body, and potassium compounds like potassium salts help in nourishing and keeping the body healthy. For example, potassium chloride is used for maintaining the levels of potassium in the body when they stoop too low.

Potassium chloride is a metal halide salt made of potassium and chlorine, tastes like salt, and has a high dissolving capability in water. It is one of the only potassium salts used to do so.

Other compounds, like potassium nitrate, are used for completely different purposes. Used in making gunpowder and fertilizer, potassium nitrate is a potassium salt and inorganic nitrate salts, occurring in nature as a mineral called nitre.

Potassium has an intense effect on blood pressure, helping us release sodium through urine and helps ease tension in our blood vessel walls, furthering its helpful effects on lowering blood pressure.

Not only this, potassium acts as an excellent plant fertilizer, helping in plant growth. As potassium alleviates growth inhibition underwater, it increases antioxidant components as well.

Amazing Facts About Potassium

Potassium might just seem like just another element that we study and have assigned a number to, but it has great uses and is very beneficial to the planet and all living beings. Potassium is an irreplaceable metal and consumption should be controlled.

Potassium mining is done by mining certain minerals which contain a high amount of potassium. Most potassium is found from evaporite salt deposits containing sylvite, and also from minerals called alunite and carnallite, apart from the obvious electrolysis of potash. It is usually mined from the following countries: Germany, Israel, France, the USA, Russia, and Canada.

Another way to do so is by oxidation of potassium with oxygen or dry air. If put in an aqueous solution, potassium can be tasted by humans. Concentrated solutions taste salty, whereas an increase in concentration leads to a bitter or alkaline taste.

Three isotopes of potassium occur naturally, however, at least 29 isotopes have been discovered. The most common of these is K-39, accounting for 93.3% of whatever potassium that is found. It is also used in table salt, which is essentially potassium chloride.

Did you know that when you take 3.5 oz (100 g) salt, 0.3 oz (8 g) of it is just potassium actually! It is usually stored under oil or kerosene due to its high oxidation capabilities, so be careful if you ever experiment!

A dull oxide coating forms when it's cut and kept in the air for too long. It was the first metal discovered by electrolysis and has a super low density for a metal.

Other isotopes of potassium help in manufacturing glass and well as rocket fuel! Used in pharmaceuticals and saline drips, potassium is an essential part of life that we cannot live without.

Facts About Potassium In Everyday Life

You might be wondering, what kind of uses can potassium have in our lives? Surely only scientists get to experiment with it since it's so reactive? Well, you could not be more wrong. Here are sone important facts about everyday use of potassium.

Did you know that you can get pure potassium yourself? Of course, it would require years of study and qualifications to do so, however, potassium is found in ancient lakes and sea beds.

Caustic potash, an important source of potassium, is found in places like Germany, New Mexico, California, and Utah. Actually, many foods that we consume daily contain a surprising amount of potassium.

To elaborate, bananas, cantaloupes, dates, oranges, all have more than 0.009 oz (250 mg) of potassium per half-cup serving. Fruits and nuts like apricots, raisins, dried peaches are also excellent sources.

Household products such as toothpaste, makeup primers, and fertilizers used for gardening projects contain potassium nitrate, an isotope of potassium. If you are running low on potassium and need a healthy alternative, try consuming more foods like meat, eggs, and milk, which are great sources for this mineral.

Potassium chloride is used to replace salt in many types of foods, such as snack foods, sauces, frozen foods, amongst others. However, an important fact about potassium is that it should be used very carefully.

Potassium burns, or hyperkalemia, happen when there are severe injuries or burns on our body, which prompts our brain to send more potassium into the bloodstream. Not only that, diabetes which is not controlled can completely disbalance the amount of potassium in your body, as it has a direct effect on the kidneys.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 103 facts about potassium explained for kids to understand then why not take a look at are magnets metal, or characteristics of alkali metals?