Potash
Potash
Potash.
Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in the water-soluble form. The name is derived from pot ash, which was the main method of manufacturing potassium salts before the industrial era. Ashes from a fire were soaked in a pot of water after which the water was filtered out. The water, containing the leached potassium salts, was then evaporated to obtain a white powder known as potash.
Potash is a rich source of potassium and could contain potassium carbonate (\(\text{K}_{2}\text{CO}_{3}\)), potassium chloride (\(\text{KCl}\)), potassium sulfate (\(\text{K}_{2}\text{SO}_{4}\)) or potassium nitrate (\(\text{KNO}_{3}\)). Up to the 19th century potash was manufactured in asheries using wood ashes, but these declined in the late 19th century when large-scale production of potash from mineral salts was established in Germany.
Optional Activity: Alternative sources of fertilizers
-
Work on your own to summarise one of the sections on the alternative fertilizer sources. Remember to summarise in your own words.
-
Find all the other learners in your class who have summarised the same topic as you and form a group. Share with your group members what you have summarised.
-
As a group, prepare \(\text{3}\) - \(\text{4}\) sentences on your alternative source of fertilizer. Share your information with the class in \(\text{1}\) - \(\text{2}\) minutes in a debate format.
This lesson is part of:
Chemistry and the Real World