Overview

Potassium sulfate (poe-TAS-ee-yum SUL-fate) is also known as potash of sulfur, sulfuric acid dipotassium salt, arcanum duplicatum, and sal polychrestum. It is a colorless or white granular, crystalline, or powdery solid with a bitter, salty taste. It occurs in nature as the mineral arcanite and in the mineral langbeinite (K₂Mg₂(SO₄)₃). The compound was known to alchemists as early as the fourteenth century, and was analyzed by a number of early chemists, including Johann Glauber (1604–1670), Robert Boyle (1627–1691), and Otto Tachenius (c. 1620–1690).

Key Facts

Other Names:

See Overview.

Formula:

K₂SO₄

Elements:

Potassium, sulfur, oxygen

Compound Type:

Salt (inorganic)

State:

Solid

Molecular Weight:

174.26 g/mol

Melting Point:

1069°C (1956°F)

Boiling Point:

Vaporizes at 1689°C (3072°F)

Solubility:

Soluble in water; slightly soluble in glycerol; insoluble in ethyl alcohol, acetone, and most other organic solvents

How It Is Made

A variety of methods for preparing potassium sulfate...