Potassium



Potassium is commonly found in bananas. Is essential for proper functioning of the heart and kidneys. Can also be used as a medication Potassium is essential in the human body. The symbol for potassium is K and its atomic number is 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal. Potassium is used as a heat transfer medium. Its salts are used as a fertilizer, oxidizer, colorant, to form strong bases, as a salt substitute, and for many other applications. Potassium is an extremely active metal, which reacts violently with oxygen and water in air. Potassium is an essential constituent for plant growth and is found in most soils. It is a vital element to the human diet, but it is not found free in nature. Potassium is the most reactive and electropositive of metals, apart from lithium. It is also the least dense. Potassium is an electrolyte that is needed in the body. Potassium deficiency can cause muscle cramps. This happens when potassium stores become low due to muscle activity Potassium is essential to your overall health and is present in many different types of food. Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York at Stony Brook 11794-5230. The expression of 15 different potassium channel genes in rat atrial and ventricular muscle was quantitatively compared by use of an RNase protection assay. Of these genes, only five, Kv1.2, Kv1.4, Kv1.5, Kv2.1, and Kv4.2, were expressed at significant levels in cardiac muscle. In comparisons of atrial and ventricular RNA samples, transcripts from the Kv1.2 and Kv4.2 genes showed the largest differences in relative abundance. There was an approximately twofold decrease in total Kv4 subfamily mRNA expression in atrial muscle relative to ventricular muscle and a 70% increase in total Kv1 subfamily mRNA. Variation of potassium channel mRNA expression within the left ventricular wall was also examined. There was a large gradient of Kv4.2 expression across the ventricular wall, and Kv4.2 expression in epicardial muscle was more than eight times higher than in papillary muscle. Other potassium channel genes were expressed at relatively uniform levels across the ventricular wall. The results suggest that transcriptional regulation makes a significant contribution to the control of potassium channel expression in cardiac muscle and to the variation of the electrophysiological phenotype of myocytes from different regions of the myocardium.
 * where are bananas grown
 * South America
 * South-East Asia
 * Africa
 * Caribbean islands
 * Hawaii
 * Florida
 * La Palma, one of the seven major Canary Islands also has many banana plantations

One of the earliest uses of potassium was for soap.Potassium is crusial for the growth of plants and animals.Potassium makes up about 1.5% of the earth's crust.Essential for moving fluids through and to the heart.

There are many foods out there that are great sources for potassium including bananas, potatoes, white beans, orange juice, parsley, avocados, soy beans, and bran. Known to be present in most fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish.

Atomic Structure

 * [[image:http://www.chemicalelements.com/bohr/b0019.gif width="277" height="275"]] ||  || **Number of Energy Levels:** 4
 * First Energy Level:****Second Energy Level:****Third Energy Level:****Fourth Energy Level:** ||

Isotopes

 * ** Isotope ** || ** Half Life ** ||
 * K-39 || Stable ||
 * K-40 || 1.28E9 years ||
 * K-41 || Stable ||
 * K-42 || 12.4 hours ||
 * K-43 || 22.3 hours ||

Facts
**Date of Discovery:** 1807 **Discoverer:** Sir Humphrey Davy **Name Origin:** potash **Symbol Origin:** From the Latin word //kalium// **Uses:** glass, soap **Obtained From:** minerals (carnallite)

Precautions
Potassium reacts very violently with water producing potassium hydroxide (KOH) and hydrogen gas. 2 K (s) + 2 H 2 O (l) → 2 KOH (aq) + H 2 ↑ (g) This reaction is exothermic and releases enough heat to ignite the resulting hydrogen and may explode in the presence of oxygen. Potassium hydroxide is a strong alkali that causes skin burns. Divided potassium will ignite in air at room temperature. The bulk metal will ignite in air if heated. Burning potassium floats in water that exposes it to atmospheric oxygen. Common fire extinguishing agents, including water, either are ineffective or make a potassium fire worse. Nitrogen, argon, Sodium chloride (table salt), sodium carbonate (soda ash), and silicon dioxide (sand) are effective if they are dry. Potassium reacts violently with halogens and will detonate in the presence of bromine. Reacts explosively with sulfuric acid. During combustion potassium forms peroxides and superoxides. These peroxides may react violently with organic compounds such as oils. Both peroxides and superoxides may react explosively with metallic potassium. Ingestion of large amounts of potassium compounds can lead to hyperkalemia strongly influencing the cardiovascular system Potassium chloride is used in the United States for death penalty via lethal injection.


 * Interesting Fact About Potassium:**


 * 1) Potassium was first purified in 1807 by Sir Humphry Davy from caustic potash (KOH) via electrolysis. Potassium was the first metal to be isolated using electrolysis.

Potassium's Properties:


 * Name:** Potassium
 * Symbol:** K
 * Atomic Number:** 19
 * Atomic Mass:** 39.0983 amu
 * Melting Point:** 63.65 °C (336.8 K, 146.57 °F)
 * Boiling Point:** 774.0 °C (1047.15 K, 1425.2 °F)
 * Number of Protons/Electrons:** 19
 * Number of Neutrons:** 20
 * Classification:** Alkali Metal
 * Crystal Structure:** Cubic

All animals need their nutrientshttp://youtu.be/mWK8MtyfNsg.

Foods that are rich in potassium: - dried apricots - raw avocados - raw bananas - cooked beets - cooked brussel sprouts - kiwi fruit - lima beans - milk, fat free - orange juice - cooked spinach - peanuts dry roasted, unsalted - prune juice

**What it does in the body** Potassium has many functions. It is essential for protein synthesis and for the conversion of blood sugar into glycogen. It activates a number of enzymes, particularly those concerned with energy production. It stimulates normal movements of the intestinal tract.

Absorption of potassium from the diet is passive and does not require any specific mechanism. Absorption takes place in the small intestine as long as the concentration in gut contents is higher than that in the blood. If food moves rapidly through the bowel then absorption will not be sufficient. The kidneys are the main regulators of body potassium, maintaining blood levels by controlling excretion, even as intake varies. Some potassium is excreted in sweat. Digestive juices contain significant amounts of potassium but most of this is re-absorbed in the lower gut.
 * Absorption and metabolism**

**Deficiency** Symptoms of severe potassium deficiency include fatigue, vomiting, abdominal distention, acute muscular weakness, paralysis, pins and needles, loss of appetite, low blood pressure, intense thirst, drowsiness, confusion and eventually coma. Muscle spasms, tetany, heart arrhythmias and muscle weakness can also be caused by increased nerve excitability associated with inadequate intake of potassium. Causes of potassium deficiency include high sodium diets, surgical operations involving the bowel, extensive burns and injuries, diabetes, Cushing's syndrome, excessive excretion of aldosterone, chronic diarrhea which limits gut re-absorption of potassium, persistent vomiting, influenza, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, ulcerative colitis, kidney disease, heart disease, chronic respiratory failure, prolonged fasting, therapeutic starvation, bizarre diets, anorexia nervosa, alcoholism and cystic fibrosis. Several medications can also cause potassium deficiency. These include thiazide diuretics, long-term therapy with corticosteroids and adrenal hormones, laxatives, excessive intake of licorice and carbenoxolone, high dose sodium penicillin, intravenous infusions of glucose and salt solutions not containing potassium, ion exchange resins used to reduce blood cholesterol, and insulin. The sudden death that can occur in fasting, anorexia nervosa or starvation is often a result of heart failure caused by potassium deficiency. High blood pressure

Many population studies have found links between low potassium intakes and an increased risk of high blood pressure and death from stroke. Increasing the amount of potassium-rich foods in the diet can lead to a reduction in high blood pressure. The ratio of sodium to potassium in the diet appears to play an important role in the development of high blood pressure. The typical Western diet is low in potassium relative to sodium. Potassium depletion causes the body to retain more fluid in response to a large dose of salt, and high levels of potassium may enhance the excretion of sodium, thus decreasing blood volume and blood pressure.

= Commercial Production =

Potassium salts such as carnallite, langbeinite, polyhalite, and sylvite form extensive deposits in ancient lake and seabeds, making extraction of potassium salts in these environments commercially viable. The principal source of potassium – potash – is mined in Canada, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Israel, United States, Jordan, and other places around the world. The first mined deposits were located near Staßfurt, Germany, but the deposits span from Great Britain over Germany into Poland. They are located in the Zechstein and were deposited in the Middle to Late Permian. The largest deposits ever found lie 1000 meters (3000 feet) below the surface of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The deposits are located in the Elk Point Group produced in the Middle Devonian. Saskatchewan, where several large mines have operated since the 1960s, pioneered the use of freezing of wet sands (the Blairmore formation) in order to drive mine shafts through them. The main potash mining company in Saskatchewan is the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan. The water of the Dead Sea is used by Israel and Jordan as a source for potash, while the concentration in normal oceans is too low for commercial production