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Symbol Origin

The Symbol "K" originates from the Latin word "Kalium"

Discovery:

The Englishman Sir Humprey Davy discover Potassium in 1807. Since Potassium is one of the Alkili metals and is not found in nature unreacted, Davy used electrolysis to isolate it.

Origin of Name:

The name "Potassium" comes mainly from one of its original uses. Soap was made using Potassium carbonate. To obtain the compound  plant ash and boiling pots of water were used. The compound at this time called "pot ash" or "potash"