🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Potassium
• Discovered By: Humphry Davy
• Year of Discovery: 1807
• Category: Alkali Metal
• Group: 1 (Group I – Alkali Metals)
• State at Room Temperature: Solid (soft, silvery metal) 🧊

Potassium is a highly reactive metal that is essential for life but never found free in nature. It’s soft enough to cut with a knife and reacts instantly with water.

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: K
• Atomic Number: 19
• Atomic Mass: ~39.10 u
• Valency: 1
• Electronic Configuration: [Ar] 4s¹

Potassium is extremely reactive, especially with water, producing heat, hydrogen gas, and a purple flame. This is why it’s stored under oil to prevent accidental reactions.

📘 Basic Things to Know

Potassium is vital for living cells, especially in plants and animals. In humans, it helps maintain proper nerve function and muscle control. ⚡

It is part of the alkali metals — a group of shiny, soft, and highly reactive metals. Though potassium is a metal, many people know it best as a nutrient in food.

🤔 Interesting Facts

• Potassium was the first metal to be isolated by electrolysis.
• Its name comes from “potash,” a compound made by soaking wood ash in water.
• It burns with a lilac-colored flame when ignited. 🔥💜
• The symbol K comes from the Latin word “kalium.”
• Bananas are famous for containing potassium, but spinach and sweet potatoes have even more! 🍌🥬

🔧 Common Uses

• Fertilizers: Potassium is a major ingredient in plant fertilizers, helping crops grow. 🌱
• Food & Nutrition: Essential mineral in the human diet; found in fruits, vegetables, and dairy.
• Medicine: Used in treating low potassium levels (hypokalemia).
• Industrial Use: Used in making soaps, glass, and explosives.
• Lab Use: Potassium compounds are often used in chemical experiments.

📚 Conclusion

Potassium is a tiny powerhouse of energy and life. It’s a soft metal that reacts dramatically in the lab, yet it’s something we consume daily in food for healthy muscles and nerves. For students, it’s a fascinating mix of chemistry and biology. For everyone else, it’s proof that even the elements inside a banana have a big story to tell! 🍌🔬