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Who first isolated potassium metal in 1807?
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![A periodic table element box for potassium shows atomic number 19, symbol K, atomic weight 39.0983, electron configuration [Ar]4s1, and name potassium. Icons indicate it is an alkali metal, solid at room temperature, body-centered cubic crystal structure, and has strongly basic higher-valence oxides. A key explains the symbols for alkali metals, solid state, body-centered cubic structure, and strong basicity.](https://cdn.britannica.com/81/22381-050-E3372C94/properties-Potassium.jpg)
potassium
Properties of potassium.
The English chemist Sir Humphry Davy first isolated potassium metal in 1807. He achieved this by using a voltaic battery to perform electrolysis on molten potassium hydroxide, making potassium the first metal to be isolated through this process.1