Potassium

chemistry · elements · reactive metals

Found in nature. Potassium doesn't exist by itself in nature, only in salty compounds mixed into seawater, rocks like granite, and the ashes of burned plants.

Soft enough to cut. This metal is so soft and easy to slice that you could cut it with a knife, even though it's made of metal like steel or aluminum.

Burns with purple fire. When potassium touches water, it reacts so violently that it heats up enough to ignite the hydrogen gas it creates, burning with a beautiful lilac-colored flame.

Super reactive metal. Potassium is part of a family called alkali metals that all love to react with other things, and they do it fast and furiously.

Named after plant ash. The word potassium comes from 'potash,' which is the white powder left over when you burn plant material, and that's where people first found it.