What Is the Natural State of the Element Potassium?
Potassium is a metallic element, but it's most commonly found as part of a salt compound, rather than as a metal. Potassium, like many other metals, is a mineral that your cells need to function properly. The potassium in your body is completely in salt form, rather than in metallic form.
Potassium
Potassium is in the first column of elements on the periodic table, making it an alkali metal. This means that not only is potassium metallic in its elemental form, but it has the ability to react violently with water to produce an alkaline (basic) solution, explains Dr. Martin Silberberg in his book “Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change." Potassium is element number 19; it has an atomic weight of 39 atomic mass units 1.
- Potassium is in the first column of elements on the periodic table, making it an alkali metal.
In Nature
Why Do You Float Better in Salt Water?
Learn More
The elemental form of potassium is metallic -- unreacted potassium is a conductive, silvery metal that is so soft you can cut it with a butter knife. Because potassium is extremely reactive, however, you don't find metallic potassium in nature. Instead, potassium in nature occurs in the form of the potassium cation. A cation is a positively charged particle that forms when a metal loses some of its electrons. Potassium in nature loses one electron to form a cation with a charge of +1.
- The elemental form of potassium is metallic -- unreacted potassium is a conductive, silvery metal that is so soft you can cut it with a butter knife.
- A cation is a positively charged particle that forms when a metal loses some of its electrons.
Salts
Metals like potassium that form cations can't simply lose electrons -- they have to give the lost electrons to another element. When potassium loses its electron, it always gives the electron to a non-metallic element. This causes the non-metal to form a negatively charged particle, called an anion. The potassium cation is then attracted to the non-metal anion, because opposite charges attract. This results in the formation of a salt, which always consists of a cation and an anion.
- Metals like potassium that form cations can't simply lose electrons -- they have to give the lost electrons to another element.
- This results in the formation of a salt, which always consists of a cation and an anion.
In The Body and In Food
How Does Zinc React With Hydrochloric Acid?
Learn More
The potassium in food (bananas are rich in potassium) and in your body is in salt form. In water, the cation and anion that make up a salt separate from one another, meaning that the positively charged potassium in your body isn't stuck to a negatively charged particle; it's simply dissolved in the water-based liquid inside your cells. Potassium cation is an important mineral that has roles in nervous system function and fluid balance, explains Dr. Lauralee Sherwood in her book "Human Physiology. 2"
- The potassium in food (bananas are rich in potassium) and in your body is in salt form.
- In water, the cation and anion that make up a salt separate from one another, meaning that the positively charged potassium in your body isn't stuck to a negatively charged particle; it's simply dissolved in the water-based liquid inside your cells.
Related Articles
References
- “Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change”; Martin Silberberg, Ph.D.; 2008
- “Human Physiology”; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
- Potassium. Office of Dietary Supplements. National Institutes of Health
- Lambert H, Frassetto L, Moore JB, et al. The effect of supplementation with alkaline potassium salts on bone metabolism: a meta-analysis. Osteoporos Int. 2015;26(4):1311-8. doi:+10.1007/s00198-014-3006-9
- Chatterjee R, Slentz C, Davenport CA, et al. Effects of potassium supplements on glucose metabolism in African Americans with prediabetes: a pilot trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;106(6):1431-1438. doi:10.3945/ajcn.117.161570
- Potassium. Fact Sheet for Consumers. Office of Dietary Supplements. National Institutes of Health
- Health Claim Notification for Potassium Containing Foods. US Food and Drug Administration
- Aburto NJ, Hanson S, Gutierrez H, Hooper L, Elliott P, Cappuccio FP. Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyses. BMJ 2013;346:f1378.
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. What Is Potassium?
- ConsumerLab.com. Potassium Supplements Review.
- Curhan GC, Willett WC, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ. A prospective study of dietary calcium and other nutrients and the risk of symptomatic kidney stones. N Engl J Med 1993;328:833-8.
- Curhan GC, Willett WC, Speizer FE, Spiegelman D, Stampfer MJ. Comparison of dietary calcium with supplemental calcium and other nutrients as factors affecting the risk for kidney stones in women. Ann Intern Med 1997;126:497-504.
- D’Elia L, Barba G, Cappuccio FP, Strazzullo P. Potassium intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease a meta-analysis of prospective studies. J Am Coll Cardiol 2011;57:1210-9.
- O’Neil C, Keast D, Fulgoni V, and Nicklas T. Food sources of energy and nutrients among adults in the US: NHANES 2003-2006. Nutrients. 2012;4:2097-120. DOI: 10.3390/nu4122097.
- Stone M, Martyn L, and Weaver C. Potassium intake, bioavailability, hypertension, and glucose control. Nutrients. 2016;8: E444. DOI: 10.3390/nu8070444.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Health Claim Notification for Potassium Containing Foods.
- Weaver CM. Potassium and health. Adv Nutr 2013;4:368S-77S.
- Yong Sun, et al. Dietary potassium regulates vascular calcification and arterial stiffness. JCI Insight. 2017;2(19):e94920.
Writer Bio
Kirstin Hendrickson is a writer, teacher, coach, athlete and author of the textbook "Chemistry In The World." She's been teaching and writing about health, wellness and nutrition for more than 10 years. She has a Bachelor of Science in zoology, a Bachelor of Science in psychology, a Master of Science in chemistry and a doctoral degree in bioorganic chemistry.