CAS 7447-40-7 Potassium chloride - Materials / Alfa Chemistry

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Potassium chloride

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Catalog Number

ACM7447407

CAS Number

7447-40-7

Product Name

Potassium chloride

Structure

Category

Electrolytes

Synonyms

Klotrix

Description

The chemical compound potassium chloride (KCl) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chloride. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water and its solutions have a salt-like taste. KCl is used 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.

IUPAC Name

Potassium;chloride

Molecular Weight

74.55

Molecular Formula

ClK

Canonical SMILES

[Cl-].[K+]

InChI

InChI=1S/ClH.K/h1H;/q;+1/p-1

InChI Key

WCUXLLCKKVVCTQ-UHFFFAOYSA-M

Boiling Point

1420 °C

Melting Point

770 °C

Flash Point

1500 °C

Purity

99%+

Density

1.98 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

Solubility

Freely soluble in water, insoluble in ethanol

Appearance

White crystals

Application

Potassium chloride, known chemically as KCl, serves a wide range of purposes across various industries due to its unique properties as a colorless or white crystalline compound. Primarily, it is utilized as an essential nutrient in agricultural settings, offering a vital source of potassium to plants, thereby enhancing their growth and preventing disease. In the food industry, potassium chloride is valued for its role as a salt substitute and dietary supplement, contributing to the flavor profile and structural integrity of foods, including low-sodium and artificially sweetened products. Medically, it acts as an electrolyte replenisher, addressing deficiencies such as hypokalemia by ensuring balanced potassium levels in the blood. Beyond these applications, potassium chloride is also pivotal in industrial processes, used in the heat treatment of steels and the production of porcelain enamels, leveraging its stability at high temperatures and beneficial interaction with other substances. Overall, potassium chloride's versatility and effectiveness underline its integral role in agriculture, food production, and healthcare.

Storage

2-8 °C

Color/Form

White crystals or crystalline powder;Colorless crystals;Colorless, elongated, prismatic, or cubical crystals or as a white granular powder

Complexity

Covalently-Bonded Unit Count

EC Number

231-211-8;231-211-8

Exact Mass

73.9325592

Formal Charge

Hazard Class

5.1

Heavy Atom Count

ICSC Number

1450

Log P

-2.99600

MeSH Entry Terms

Chloride, Potassium;Potassium Chloride;Slow-K

Monoisotopic Mass

73.9325592

NSC Number

77368

Odor

Odorless

Other Experimental

Nonhygroscopic;Cubic crystals. Natural sylvite is opalescent or milky white. Sylvite is often colored red by hematite. Mohs Hardness = 2; Index of refraction = 1.4903; Density: 1.99 g/cu cm /Sylvite/;Density of saturated aq soln at 15 °C: 1.172;Specific heat = 693.7 J/kg-K; Heat of fusion = 337.7 kJ/mol; Enthalpy of formation = -436.7 kJ/mol; Entropy (S) = 82.55 J/mol-K; Dielectric constant (at 1X10+6 Hz) = 4.68; Thermal coeff of expansion (15-25 °C) = 33.7X10-6/K; Boiling point of saturated solution at 1.013 bar = 108.6 °C

Refractive Index

n20/D 1.334

Rotatable Bond Count

RTECS Number

TS8050000

Stability

Stable. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents, strong acids. Protect from moisture. Hygroscopic.

Storage Conditions

2-8ºC

Topological Polar Surface Area

0 Å²

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