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CAS Number 7447-40-7
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Linear Formula KCl
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Molecular Weight 74.55
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EC Number 231-211-8
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MDL number MFCD00011360
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PubChem Substance ID 24899027
Potassium chloride (KCl) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chloride. It is odorless and has a white or colorlessvitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water and its
solutions have a salt-like taste.
Detailed description
KCl is used as a fertilizer,[6] in medicine, scientific
applications, food processing, and used to cause cardiac arrest as the third drug in
the "three drug cocktail" for executions by lethal injection. It occurs
naturally as the mineral sylvite and in combination
with sodium chloride as sylvinite.[7]
The version for
injection is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system.
Uses
Fertilizer
The majority of the potassium chloride produced is
used for making fertilizer, since the growth
of many plants is limited by their
potassium intake. As a chemical feedstock, it is used for the manufacture of potassium hydroxide and potassium metal. It is also
used in medicine, lethal injections, scientific applications, food processing, and as a
sodium-free substitute for table salt for persons
concerned about the health effects of sodium.
Medical use
Potassium is vital in the human body, and potassium
chloride by mouth is the common means to treat low blood potassium, although it can also be given intravenously. It can be used as
a salt substitute for food, but due to its weak, bitter, unsalty flavor, it is usually mixed with ordinary table salt
(sodium chloride) to improve the taste. The addition of 1 ppm of thaumatin considerably reduces
this bitterness.[9] Complaints of
bitterness or a chemical or metallic taste are also reported with potassium
chloride used in food.[10]
Other
It is sometimes used in water as a completion fluid in petroleum and natural gas operations, as well
as being an alternative to sodium chloride in household water softener units.
KCl is useful as a beta radiation source for calibration of radiation monitoring
equipment, because natural potassium contains 0.0118% of the isotope 40K. One kilogram of KCl yields 16350 becquerels of radiation consisting of 89.28%
beta and 10.72% gamma with 1.46083 MeV.
Potassium chloride is used in some de-icing products that are
designed to be safer for pets and plants, though these are inferior in melting
quality to calcium chloride [lowest usable
temperature 12 °F (−11 °C) v. −25 °F (−32 °C)]. It is also
used in various brands of bottled water, as well as in bulk
quantities for fossil fuel drilling purposes.
Potassium chloride was once used as a fire extinguishing agent, used in portable
and wheeled fire extinguishers. Known as Super-K
dry chemical, it was more effective than sodium bicarbonate-based
dry chemicals and was compatible with protein foam. This agent fell
out of favor with the introduction of potassium bicarbonate (Purple-K) dry chemical in
the late 1960s, which was much less corrosive and more effective.
It is rated for B and C fires.
Along with sodium chloride and lithium chloride, potassium chloride
is used as a flux for the gas welding of aluminium.
Potassium chloride is also an optical crystal with a
wide transmission range from 210 nm to 20 µm. While cheap, KCl
crystal is hygroscopic. This limits its
application to protected environments or short-term uses such as prototyping.
Exposed to free air, KCl optics will "rot". Whereas KCl components
were formerly used for infrared optics, it has been entirely replaced by much tougher
crystals such as zinc selenide.
Potassium chloride has also been used to produce heat packs which employ exothermic chemical reactions,[11] but these have
mostly been discontinued with the advent of cheaper and more efficient methods,
such as the oxidation of metals ('Hot Hands' one-time-use products) or the crystallization of sodium acetate (multiple-use
products).[citation needed]
Potassium chloride is used as a scotophor with designation P10
in dark-trace CRTs, e.g. in the Skiatron.
PRICE
$203.78/KG OR $92.62/IB
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