7621. Potassium Chloride

Nomenclature

CAS number: 7447-40-7
Potassium chloride (KCl); Diffu-K (UCB); Kaleorid (Leo Pharm); Kalitabs (Leo Pharm); Kaon-Cl (Altana); Kay-Cee-L (Geistlich); K-Contin (Mundipharma); K-Dur (Schering-Plough); Lento-Kalium (Teofarma); Potassiject (Vetus); Slow-K (Alliance); Span-K (Aspen).
ClK; mol wt 74.55.
Cl 47.56%, K 52.45%.
KCl.

Description and references

Occurs in nature as the mineral sylvine or sylvite. Industrial prepns: Faith, Keyes & Clark's Industrial Chemicals, F. A. Lowenheim, M. K. Moran, Eds. (Wiley-Interscience, New York, 4th ed., 1975) pp 666-673.

Properties

White crystals or crystalline powder. d 1.98. mp 773°. One gram dissolves in 2.8 ml water, 1.8 ml boiling water, 14 ml glycerol, about 250 ml alcohol. Insol in ether, acetone. Hydrochloric acid, sodium or magnesium chlorides diminish its soly in water. d of saturated aq soln at 15° is 1.172. pH: about 7.

Caution

Large doses by mouth can cause G.I. irritation, purging, weakness and circulatory disturbances.

Use

In photography. In buffer solns, electrode cells.

Therapeutic Category

Electrolyte replenisher.

Therapeutic Category (Veterinary)

Potassium supplement.

Keywords

Replenishers/Supplements; Electrolyte