The chemical compound potassium chloride (KCl) is a metal halide composed of potassium and chlorine. In its pure state it is odourless. It has a white to colourless vitreous crystal, with a face-centred cubic structure that cleaves easily in three directions. KCl is used in medicine, scientific applications, food processing and in judicial execution through lethal injection. It occurs naturally as the mineral sylvite and in combination with sodium chloride as sylvinite. A chemical compound is a chemical substance formed from two or more elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. ... A halide is a binary compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative than the halogen, to make a fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, or astatide compound. ... General Name, Symbol, Number potassium, K, 19 Series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1(IA), 4, s Density, Hardness 856 kg/m3, 0. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chlorine, Cl, 17 Series halogens Group, Period, Block 17 (VIIA), 3, p Density, Hardness 3. ... Vitreous refers to a material in a glassy state. ... Rose des Sables (Sand Rose), a formation of gypse crystal In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. ... Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent foodborne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor. ... Lethal injection table at the Huntsville Unit in Texas Lethal injection is a method of capital punishment. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or halite, is a chemical compound with formula NaCl. ...

Chemical properties

Potassium chloride can react as a source of chloride ion. As with any other soluble ionic chloride, it will precipitate insoluble chlorides when added to a solution of an appropriate metal salt such as silver nitrate: The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine picks up one electron to form the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and are also called chlorides. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine picks up one electron to form the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and are also called chlorides. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms ions (cations) and has metallic bonds, and metals are sometimes described as a lattice of positive ions (cations) in a cloud of electrons. ... In chemistry, salt is a general term used for ionic compounds composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... Silver nitrate is a chemical compound with chemical formula AgNO3. ...

KCl(aq) + Ag(NO₃)(aq) → AgCl(s) + KNO₃(aq) Drinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. ... Silver nitrate is a chemical compound with chemical formula AgNO3. ... Drinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. ... Silver chloride (also called silver(I) chloride) is a chemical compound with chemical formula AgCl. ... A solid is a state of matter, characterized by a definite volume and a definite shape (i. ... The chemical compound potassium nitrate is a naturally occurring mineral source of nitrogen. ... Drinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. ...

Although potassium is more electropositive than sodium, KCl can be reduced to the metal by reaction with metallic sodium if the potassium is removed by distillation, due to Le Chatelier's principle: General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Series alkali metal Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 3, s Density, Hardness 968 kg/m3, 0. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Series alkali metal Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 3, s Density, Hardness 968 kg/m3, 0. ... In chemistry, Le Chateliers principle can be used to predict the effect of a change in conditions on a chemical equilibrium. ...

Download high resolution version (1039x183, 3 KB)Preparation of potassium metal This image has been released into the public domain by its creator and original copyright holder. ...

This method is the main method for producing metallic potassium. Electrolysis (used for sodium) fails because of the high solubility of potassium in molten KCl. General Name, Symbol, Number potassium, K, 19 Series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1(IA), 4, s Density, Hardness 856 kg/m3, 0. ... In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of separating bonded elements and compounds by passing an electric current through them. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Series alkali metal Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 3, s Density, Hardness 968 kg/m3, 0. ...

Manufacture/Extraction

Potassium chloride occurs naturally as sylvite, and it can be extracted from sylvinite. It is also extracted from salt water and can be manufactured by crystallization from solution, flotation or electrostatic separation from suitable minerals. It is a by-product of the making of nitric acid from potassium nitrate and hydrochloric acid. Overview The chemical compound potassium chloride (KCl) is a metal halide composed of potassium and chlorine. ... For information on water from a sea or ocean, see sea water. ... Dissolving table salt in water In chemistry, a solution is one or more substance (the solute) dissolved in another substance (the solvent) forming a homogenous mixture. ... Flotation is a method for the separation of mixtures. ... Electrostatics is the branch of physics that deals with the force exerted by a static (i. ... The chemical compound nitric acid (HNO3), otherwise known as aqua fortis, is a colorless, corrosive liquid, a toxic acid which can cause severe burns. ... The chemical compound potassium nitrate is a naturally occurring mineral source of nitrogen. ... The chemical substance hydrochloric acid is the aqueous (water-based) solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas. ...

Uses

The majority of the potassium chloride produced is used for making fertilizer^[2], since the growth of many plants is limited by their potassium intake. As a chemical feedstock it is used for the manufacture of potassium hydroxide and potassium metal. It is also used in medicine, scientific applications, food processing and in judicial execution through lethal injection. Fertilizers are chemicals given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil or by foliar spraying. ... The chemical compound potassium hydroxide, (KOH) sometimes known as caustic potash, potassa, potash lye and potassium hydrate, is a metallic base. ... General Name, Symbol, Number potassium, K, 19 Series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1(IA), 4, s Density, Hardness 856 kg/m3, 0. ... Medicine is a branch of health science concerned with maintaining health and restoring it by treating disease. ... What is science? There are different theories of what science is. ... Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent foodborne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor. ... The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ... Lethal injection table at the Huntsville Unit in Texas Lethal injection is a method of capital punishment. ...

Biological/Medical properties

Potassium is vital in the human body and oral potassium chloride is the common means to replenish it, although it can also be diluted and given intravenously. It can be used as a salt substitute for food, but due to its weak, bitter, unsalty flavor, it is usually mixed with regular salt, sodium chloride, for this purpose to improve the taste. Medically it is used in the treatment of hypokalemia and associated conditions, for digitalis poisoning, and as an electrolyte replenisher. Side effects can include gastrointestinal discomfort including nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding of the gut. Overdoses cause hyperkalemia which can lead to paresthesia, cardiac conduction blocks, fibrillation and arrhythmias, also sclerotic effects. Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ... With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual, and contrasts with soul, personality and behavior. ... An intravenous drip in a hospital Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the administration of liquid substances directly into a vein. ... Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or halite, is a chemical compound with formula NaCl. ... Hypokalemia is a potentially fatal condition in which the body fails to retain sufficient potassium to maintain health. ... Species Digitalis ferruginea Digitalis grandiflora Digitalis lanata Digitalis lutea Digitalis obscura Digitalis purpurea Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous biennials, perennials and shrubs in the foxglove family Scrophulariaceae. ... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ... An electrolyte is a substance which dissociates free ions when dissolved (or molten), to produce an electrically conductive medium. ... The gastrointestinal or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals which takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and expels the remaining waste. ... Nausea (Greek Ναυτεία) is the sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit. ... Vomit being eaten by birds Vomiting (or emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of ones stomach through the mouth. ... Diarrhea in American English, (spelled diarrhoea in other anglophone countries) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent and watery or loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; lit. ... Bleeding is the loss of blood from the body. ... Hyperkalemia (hyper is high, kalium is the Latin name for potassium) is an elevated blood level (above 5. ... Paresthesia (paraesthesia in British) is a sensation of tingling, pricking, or numbness of the skin with no apparent physical cause, more generally known as the feeling of pins and needles. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. ... Fibrillation is the rapid, irregular, and unsynchronized contraction of the muscle fibers of the heart. ... A cardiac arrhythmia, also called cardiac dysrhythmia, is a disturbance in the regular rhythm of the heartbeat. ... Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease, a non-contagious chronic autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system which can present with a variety of neurological symptoms occurring in attacks or slowly progressing over time. ...

Precautions

Orally it is toxic in excess; the LD₅₀ is around 2500 mg/kg (meaning that a 150-lb person would have to consume about six ounces; regular salt is about as toxic). Intravenously this is reduced to just over 100 mg/kg but of more concern are its severe effects on cardiac muscles; high doses can cause cardiac arrest and rapid death. In toxicology, the LD50 or colloquially semilethal dose of a particular substance is a measure of how much constitutes a lethal dose. ... Edible salt is a mineral, one of the few rocks people eat. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle is a contractile form of tissue. ... Death is either the cessation of life in a living organism or the state of the organism after that event. ...

Suppliers/Manufacturers

• Sigma Aldrich (http://www.sigmaaldrich.com)
• Alfa Aesar (http://www.alfa.com/alf/index.htm)
• VWR International (http://www.vwr.com/index.htm)
• Fisher Scientific (https://www1.fishersci.com/index.jsp)

References

• Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 71st edition, CRC Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1990.
• N. N. Greenwood, A. Earnshaw, Chemistry of the Elements, Pergamon Press, 1984.