Elements / 19
19K39.098
Potassium
Alkali metal · s-block · ring N · spoke 1
Potassium is element 19, an alkali metal. It sits on ring N (period 4) on spoke 1, the alkali metals. Follow that spoke toward the center and out again to find its chemical relatives.
Properties
| Density | 0.862 g/cm³ | Terrain → |
|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 337 K · 64 °C | Terrain → |
| Boiling point | 1,032 K · 759 °C | Terrain → |
| Electronegativity | 0.82 | Terrain → |
| First ionization energy | 419 kJ/mol | Terrain → |
| Atomic weight | 39.0983 u | Terrain → |
| Crustal abundance | 20,900 ppm8th most abundant in Earth's crust of 92 | Terrain → |
| Discovered | 1702 | Terrain → |
Values from open reference data; see sources. "Terrain" opens that property as a 3D landscape across the whole spiral.
Two things you might not know
- The first metal ever isolated by electrolysis, freed by Humphry Davy in 1807; on water it burns with a lilac flame.
- Named after plant ash leached in pots; 95% of its chemical output goes into fertilisers, and a day's worth is in 11 bananas.
Checked against en.wikipedia.org.
Spoke 1: Alkali metals
Ring N (period 4)
Play with Potassium
Watch it fly into its seat, or raise the whole spiral into a landscape and see where it peaks.