Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Autobiography of the Element K

I was born in England on October 6, 1807 to Sir Humphrey Davy.  As a solid, shiny baby metal, I weighed 39.0983 amu, and I contained 19 protons.  When the doctors checked me they found that I had a boiling point of 1032K and a melting point of 336K.  Sir Davy named me Potassium after the English word "potash", and they also referred to me as K after the Latin word for alkali, "Kallium."  I was always told that I was special because I was the first born metal to be isolated by electrolysis.
As a young element, I was known to be very reactive with the other elements in the neighborhood (especially Oxygen).  Due to my behavior, I became part of a gang known as the Alkali Metals.  We're all located in the same area, the first row of the periodic table.  During my free time, I enjoyed and still enjoy making soaps, glass, fertilizers, medicines, explosives, and fireworks.  I am also helpful to humans in other ways.  I influence the osmotic balance between their cells and interstitial fluid through a pump I created with my friend Sodium.  These days I can be found resting in bananas, orange juice, fertilizer, and potatoes.

Sources:
Bentor, Yinon. Chemical Element.com - Potassium. Jan. 31, 2012
<http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/k.html>.

Winter, Mark. "Potassium: The Essentials." WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements. Web. 31 Jan. 2012. <http://www.webelements.com/potassium/>.

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