Overview

Potassium hydroxide (poe-TAS-ee-yum hy-DROK-side) is a white deliquescent solid that is available in sticks, lumps, flakes, or pellets. A deliquescent material is one that tends to absorb so much moisture from the atmosphere that it becomes very wet, even to the point of dissolving in the water it has absorbed. Potassium hydroxide also absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, changing in the process to potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃). Potassium hydroxide is one of the most caustic materials known. It has a number of uses in industry and agriculture.

Potassium hydroxide is chemically very active. It reacts violently with acids, generating significant amounts of heat in the process. In moist air, it corrodes metals such as tin, lead, zinc, and aluminum with the release of combustible and explosive hydrogen gas.

Key Facts

Other Names:

Caustic potash; potash lye; potassa; potassium hydrate

Formula:

KOH

Elements:

Potassium, oxygen...