Jacob Sigismonti September 11, 2013 Per. 1/2 Explosive Bananas!

For centuries Potassium was known of, but it was never reduced to the actual element. Chemists filed Potassium as an earth because it was found in many different substances such as gunpowder and soap, but never was found in a pure form. Until 1807, when Humphry Davy exposed wet potassium carbonate,K2CO3, to electricity and observed the forming of metallic particles of a new element, Potassium. Davy also explained that when released into the water it burned with a lavender colored fire (Potassium. Element). Potassium is a very reactive element that is found in the Earths crust and it is never found free, because if it touches any water it can explode. Pure Potassium is a soft, alkali metal that can be easily cut with any household knife (The Element Potassium). Potassium has an atomic number of 19, which means it also has 19 protons and electrons in an atom. The average atomic mass is 39.10amu and it has three common isotopes, but has up to 24 known isotopes (The Element Potassium). The two most stable isotopes are 39 and 41 amu. Potassium is also an Alkali Metal and is a group number 1. You may be wondering why the title is Explosive Bananas! It is because bananas are Potassium super fruits, which means it is rich in Potassium. Also Potassium is highly explosive! It reacts violently with water to form potassium hydroxide, which is KOH, It releases hydrogen, which usually ignites making a violet fire (Potassium. Infoplease). Therefore, theoretically creating an explosive banana. Different forms of Potassium are used for other practical jobs. There are billions of deposits of potassium chloride throughout the world mainly used in fertilizers (Potassium. Element). Potassium is essential for life on Earth; humans consume about 7 grams per day. Since the element is so abundant there are tons of uses and it is not as expensive as most elements.

Works Cited N.P."Potassium." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/potassium.html>. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Office of Science Education."The Element Potassium." It's Elemental The Periodic Table of Elements. Jefferson Lab, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele019.html>. "Potassium." - Element Information, Properties and Uses. RSC, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/19/potassium>.

Jacob Sigismonti September 11, 2013 Per. 1/2