Potassium bromate as a food additive: a case study of Tunisian breads.

See more Potassium products. Potassium (atomic symbol: K, atomic number: 19) is a Block S, Group 1, Period 4 element with an atomic weight of 39.0983. The number of electrons in each of Potassium's shells is [2, 8, 8, 1] and its electron configuration is [Ar] 4s¹. The potassium atom has a radius of 227.2 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 275 pm. Potassium was discovered and first isolated by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1807. Potassium is the seventh most abundant element on earth. It is one of the most reactive and electropositive of all metals and rapidly oxidizes. As with other alkali metals, potassium decomposes in water with the evolution of hydrogen because of its reacts violently with water, it only occurs in nature in ionic salts. In its elemental form, potassium has a silvery gray metallic appearance, but its compounds (such as potassium hydroxide) are more frequently used in industrial and chemical applications. The origin of the element's name comes from the English word 'potash,' meaning pot ashes, and the Arabic word qali, which means alkali. The symbol K originates from the Latin word kalium.

See more Bromine products. Bromine (atomic symbol: Br, atomic number: 35) is a Block P, Group 17, Period 4 element. Its electron configuration is [Ar]4s²3d¹⁰4p⁵. The bromine atom has a radius of 102 pm and its Van der Waals radius is 183 pm. In its elemental form, bromine has a red-brown appearance. Bromine does not occur by itself in nature; it is found as colorless soluble crystalline mineral halide salts. Bromine was discovered and first isolated by Antoine Jérôme Balard and Leopold Gmelin in 1825-1826.