Among the chemical elements, potassium stands out with a number of its unique physical and chemical properties. For chemists, it is of interest for its high activity. This substance instantly reacts with oxygen, heating in air causes it to ignite, and potassium superoxide is the product of this reaction. Interaction with water and acid solutions leads to violent ignition and even explosion. Potassium is able to reduce sulfuric acid to hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and sulfur, nitric acid is reduced to nitrogen oxides and molecular nitrogen.
In the periodic system, potassium occupies cell number nineteen. Its belonging to alkali metals explains the silver-white color and high plasticity of this substance, it is easily cut with a knife and exhibits high chemical activity. This explains the fact that pure potassium does not occur in nature. Among the substances into which potassium enters as a constituent element, the most common is seawater, and it can also be found in various minerals. The rapid oxidation of this substance leads to the fact that potassium oxide (formula K2O) quickly passes into the state of peroxide (K2O4).
Potassium oxide can be obtained by heating the metal to 180 ° C in an oxygen-depleted medium or by heating a mixture of superoxide with metallic potassium. As an integral part, potassium oxide is found in cement and certain types of fertilizers.
For the plant world, potassium is of great importance, it is one of the three main building materials of organic compounds, along with nitrogen and phosphorus. Fruiting and further preservation of fruits and tubers are associated with potassium levels. Potassium plays an important role in the transport of sugar and in the formation of plant stocks, this is manifested in an increase in starch in tubers, rhizomes and roots. Potassium has a beneficial effect on increasing the density of plant tissues, their stems. The lack of potassium leads to the fact that the plant is not able to properly absorb nitrogen. Plants consume potassium hydroxide. It interacts with a number of substances, ensuring the normal vital activity of the plant organism.
Potassium deficiency in some soils is offset by the use of a wide range of potash fertilizers. Their production is based on the use of natural deposits of potassium salts, minerals are called sylvinite and carnallite, and senite, cainite and langbainite are sulfuric acid salts of potassium. The use of minerals makes it possible to obtain fertilizers with a high concentration of potassium.
The most common fertilizer that contains potassium oxide is potassium salt. This mixture is a composition of finely ground mineral of natural origin sylvinite, as well as potassium chloride. Potassium oxide reaches 40%.
A substance with pronounced basic properties is capable of violently reacting not only with acids, acid oxides, and even water. The property of this compound to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen is widely used in gas masks of the insulating principle of action, as well as in submarines. The absorber in this case is an equimolar mixture of sodium peroxide and potassium superoxide. If the mixture is not equimolar, with an excess of sodium peroxide, more gas is absorbed than it is released. Two volumes of carbon dioxide release one volume of oxygen. Moreover, in a confined space, the pressure drops. Excess potassium oxide gives the effect of absorption of two volumes of carbon dioxide with the release of three volumes of oxygen, while the pressure rises. Equimolarity of the mixture allows us to achieve the equation of volumes of absorbed and released gases.
Being a strong oxidizing agent, peroxides are used in the textile industry for bleaching fabrics.