subject: Potassium: A Short History [print this page] Potassium is one of the rich metals found on earth. The word K is used as its chemical symbol. It is important for functions of animals and plants although it does not exist in its pure elemental form because of its highly reactive nature.
People used potassium in the form of potash as a cleaning agent before 18th century. Potash was obtained from wood ashes washed with water. Potash was dissolvable in water and collected in iron pots, the left over white substance was called potash. The name of potash originated from the pots that were used in the making process.
Potash is also found in essential plant nutrients making it an effective plant fertilizer. Extensive history of mining and manufacturing suggests making dyes, soap and glass from potash.
By the end of the 18th century, chemists had realized that vegetable alkali and mineral alkali have a composition of same elements which were not identified earlier. Different methods were tried to isolate these elements form compounds. A British chemist named Humphry Davy worked on it in 1807. After trying few experiments, he passed electric current through the solution of potash and tiny droplets of metal emerged. The name Potassium was given to the new metal. This made potassium the first metal to be isolated by the process of electrolysis.
Nowadays, potassium is only produced by the process of electrolysis or thermal methods. Before this, people made it by cutting down trees and burning them for ash. The source materials used in the process come from the rich deposits of metals found in ancient lakes and sea beds.
Canada, Germany and the three states of US New Mexico, California and Utah are the places where potassium is mined. Although the nature if the metal is not toxic but it can be dangerous for anyone exposed to it because it is highly reactive in its pure form.
Potassium is an important nutrient for human body and it is commonly used for making medicines, fertilizers, soaps, glass, fireworks and explosives.
