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Potassium, Copper & You




Long away and Far ago Kilroy wrote:

> I thought that Potassium chloride (KCl) is the same as Potash. The latter

Not quite...  Pot Ash is actually impure Potassium carbonate, or what can 
be leached out of a heap of fireplace ashes.  Besides the carbonate, this 
material also contains some of the hydroxide, known as caustic potash.  

> I am not a chemist, so I may be making a faux pas here. <g>. 

Not quite... Potassium carbonate could, conceivably, recharge a cationic 
exchange resin just as well as the chloride, but I would not recommend 
agricultural grade potash.

> Any comments from the chemists on board? How does dissolved KCl interact
> with Cu?

Not quite... No appreciable reaction between the aqueous salts; the old 
copper nail in the potassium chloride sollution trick never drew much of 
a crowd, however the old potassium nail in the copper chloride solution 
trick is guarenteed to bring the house down (literally)! 


		Roger L. Sieloff