Potassium

Atomic number

19

Atomic mass (u)

39.0983

Category

Alkali metal

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

63.38 °C (336.53 K)

Boiling point

758.85 °C (1032 K)

Density (g/cm³)

0.89

Electronegativity (Pauling)

0.82

Electron configuration

[Ar]4s1

Oxidation states

+1

Atomic radius (pm)

275

First ionization energy (eV)

4.341

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

1807

Discovery credited to (RSC)

Humphry Davy

Date or period recorded by RSC

1807

Discovery place

Not supplied in the structured record; see the RSC history source.

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

The creation of an element’s nuclei and its concentration into terrestrial deposits are different processes. The occurrence note below concerns its presence or production on Earth; it is not a complete account of nucleosynthesis.

“Potassium is the seventh most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust.”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

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Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.