Potassium carbonate
Common Name- Potash
Chemical formula
K2CO3, Potash was principally obtained by leaching the ashes of land and sea plants. The old method of making Potassium carbonate (K
2CO
3) was by collecting or producing wood ash (an occupation carried out by ash burners), leaching the ashes and then evaporating the resulting solution in large iron pots, leaving a white residue called "pot ash". Approximately 10% by weight of common wood ash can be recovered as pot ash. Later, "potash" became the term widely applied to naturally occurring potassium salts and the commercial product derived from them.
2CO
3) was by collecting or producing wood ash (an occupation carried out by ash burners), leaching the ashes and then evaporating the resulting solution in large iron pots, leaving a white residue called "pot ash". Approximately 10% by weight of common wood ash can be recovered as pot ash. Later, "potash" became the term widely applied to naturally occurring potassium salts and the commercial product derived from them.
Uses of Potash
Potash (especially potassium carbonate) has been used in bleaching textiles, making glass, and making soap, This year it is going to be used as a battery storage and other high powered devices.
Physical properties
Potassium is a soft, silvery-white metal with a melting point of 63°C (145°F) and a boiling point of 770°C (1,420°F). Its density is 0.862 grams per cubic centimeter, less than that of water (1.00 grams per cubic centimeter). That means that potassium metal can float on water. Chemically, though, that's not a good idea
Other Facts
It's only produced in 12 countries mostly in foreign such as Russia, Belarus and Germany
Potash pricing has been extremely volatile for years. The price of the nutrient began the last decade below $150 a tonne and soared above $1,000 a tonne during the commodity boom in 2007-08.
After 1931 a number of mines there supplied about 90 percent of the domestic requirement of potash. Some 95 percent of this production became fertilizer.