potassium

Introduction
Properties, occurrence, and uses
Principal compounds and reactions with other elements

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

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.

Aerial view of the potash mine at Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, showing industrial buildings, storage facilities, and plumes of steam or smoke surrounded by snowy fields.

Explore an interactive periodic table of the elements

Line graph showing the first ionization energies of the elements as a function of atomic number, with peaks at noble gases like helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, and labeled elements at key points.

Learn about the underground beds of potash deposits in Germany

Observe the drilling and blasting work in a potash mine in Germany

At a Glance

potassium summary

Quizzes

Concept artwork on the periodic table of elements.

118 Names and Symbols of the Periodic Table Quiz

Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)

Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz

Illustration of molecules. (molecular, chemistry, science)

So Much Chemistry, So Little Time Quiz

Related Questions

At what temperature does potassium metal melt?
How abundant is potassium in Earth’s crust?
How are ancient lake beds and seabeds connected to potash deposits?
How did Sir Humphry Davy isolate potassium metal?
How do potassium’s melting and boiling points compare with those of lithium and cesium?
How does potassium chloride become part of potash fertilizer?
How does potassium conduct heat and electricity?
How does potassium help plants regulate osmosis?
How does potassium help transmit nerve impulses in animals?
How does potassium react with carbon dioxide at high temperatures?
How does potassium react with halogens such as bromine?
How does potassium’s density compare with the density of water?
How does solution mining recover potash from underground deposits?
How does the body remove excess potassium?
How is potash mined by underground mining?
How is potassium-40 used to calculate the ages of rocks?
How is potassium distributed between human cells and blood plasma?
How is potassium iodide made from potassium hydroxide?
How is potassium metal commercially produced from potassium chloride?
How is potassium nitrate used in fertilizers and fireworks?
How is potassium superoxide used in respiratory equipment?
How is potassium’s electron configuration related to its reactivity?
How is the sodium-potassium alloy used in nuclear reactors?
How many electrons are in the outer shell of a potassium atom?
What role does potassium hydroxide play in making soaps and detergents?
Where is potassium found in the Dead Sea?
Which flame color does potassium produce?
Which group of the periodic table includes potassium?
Which metals form completely mixable alloys with potassium?
Which minerals are important sources of potassium compounds?
Which products form when potassium reacts with water?
Which three isotopes occur naturally in potassium?
Who first isolated potassium metal in 1807?
Why are potassium, sodium, and lithium less dense than water?
Why can hydrogen ignite during potassium’s reaction with water?
Why can sodium-potassium alloy serve as a heat-transfer coolant?
Why do alkali metals have relatively low melting points?
Why do alkali metals such as potassium readily form positive ions?
Why do plants need potassium for photosynthesis and growth?
Why does potassium chloride dissolve readily in water?
Why does potassium react violently with water?
Why does potassium usually form a positive one ion?
Why has commercial production of potassium by electrolysis been difficult?
Why is natural potassium radioactive?
Why is potassium content on fertilizer labels expressed as potassium oxide equivalent?
Why is potassium in feldspar difficult to extract?
Why is potassium iodide added to table salt and animal feed?
Why is potassium metal soft compared with many other metals?
Why is potassium more reactive than sodium?
Why was making potash from burned wood unsustainable?
What is platinum used for?
Where are the largest deposits of platinum?
What are the properties of platinum?
When did science begin?
Where was science invented?

Science Chemistry

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External Websites

Royal Society of Chemistry - Potassium
Medicine LibreTexts - Potassium
Verywell Health - The Health Benefits of Potassium
Harvard T.H. Chan - School of Public Health - The Nutrition Source - Potassium
National Institute of Health - Office of Dietary Supplements - Potassium
Lenntech - Potassium - K
Livescience - Facts About Potassium
WebMD - Potassium - Uses, Side Effects, and More
CAMEO Chemicals - Potassium
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Potassium
Oregon State University - Linus Pauling Institute - Potassium

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

potassium - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
potassium - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

potassium

chemical element

Also known as: K, kalium

Written and fact-checked by

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Last updated

Oct. 22, 2026 •History

potassium (K), chemical element of Group 1 (Ia) of the periodic table, the alkali metal group, indispensable for both plant and animal life. Potassium was the first metal to be isolated by electrolysis, by the English chemist Sir Humphry Davy, when he obtained the element (1807) by decomposing molten potassium hydroxide (KOH) with a voltaic battery. atomic number 19 atomic weight 39.098 melting point 63.28 °C (145.90 °F) boiling point 760 °C (1,400 °F) specific...

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