Potassium By Megan

Did you know that potassium melts when you put it over a candle flame? It’s really unusual because most metals don’t melt over a candle flame.

Sir Humphry Davy discovered potassium in 1807. Potassium was the first metal he isolated by putting an electric current into potassium hydroxide.

Potassium is used in many items. Even the early pioneers used potassium based items like potash which contains a potassium compound that is good for cleaning. Potash comes from burnt wood. Who would ever think you could turn burnt wood into a cleaning material?

The letter K is the symbol for potassium. It is also the 8^th most abundant element in the earth’s crust.

Potassium is a soft, silvery white metal with a melting point of 63⁰C and a boiling point of 770^oC. Potassium reacts easily with all acids with all non-metals.

Potassium metal can be used as a heat exchange medium which is a material that picks up heat in one place and moves it to another. Nuclear power plants use potassium metal to move heat away from the hot core.

Potassium chloride is used to make fertilizer. Potassium is also used in fireworks, baking soda, soft drinks, film, dies, stains, ceramics, explosives, and bananas.

Potassium is very important to the human body. It helps with the balance of fluids and cells and is also important in the transmissions of chemical messages between nerve cells and muscle movement. It also helps to digest food.

As it turns out, potassium is very important to all parts of our life. It is needed for both industrial and health reasons. Without discovery of potassium things would be very different. The 4^th of July would be less fun without potassium because there wouldn’t be any fireworks. Some houses would have different floors because potassium is used in ceramics. Soft drinks would taste different. You wouldn’t have certain cameras because there wouldn’t be any film for pictures. If you don’t have enough potassium in your body you’ll get very sick. That’s why potassium is a very important element.