About 95% of the world’s potassium is used as fertiliser and is most commonly called potash.
Potassium (K) is a soft and light alkali metal of a silver-white colour. It is not present in nature in its pure state, but in complex compounds it is present in almost everything around us: in the soil, in water, in the cells of all living organisms. This vital element has no natural or artificial substitutes.
Potassium is one of the ten most common elements on Earth: its concentration in the Earth's crust is about 2.4%. Typically, the concentration of potassium is rather low, and it accumulates only in certain minerals and rock salts, forming rocks.
There are more than ten minerals containing potassium, but sylvinite and carnallite are the two with the highest concentration.
There are more than ten minerals containing potassium, but sylvinite and carnallite are the two with the highest concentration.
Sylvinite
Sedimentary rock composed of a crystal-grained mixture of halite and sylvite (nNaCl + mKCl) and some impurities (anhydrite, carbonates, clay material, etc.)
Carnallite
mineral, double salt of potassium chloride and magnesium chloride, KCl•MgCl2•6H2O.
K - Symbol
Oxide density
Atomic number
Relative atomic mass
Boiling point, °С
Melting point, °С
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