Potassium carbonate 584-08-7
Application Scenarios:
Industrial Grade:
1. Specialty Glass: Potassium carbonate is a key raw material in the manufacture of optical glass, television picture tubes, computer and mobile phone screen glass, and laboratory heat-resistant glass. It significantly improves the transparency, refractive index, strength, and chemical stability of glass, performing better than sodium-based raw materials.
2. High-Grade Ceramics and Enamels: As a flux in glazes, it lowers the sintering temperature, improves the gloss and hardness of the glaze, and prevents cracking.
3. Liquid Fire Extinguishing Agent: Potassium carbonate is often formulated into aqueous solutions for use in automatic fire suppression systems in commercial kitchens. For fires caused by grease, it undergoes a saponification reaction with hot cooking oil, forming a thick foam layer on the oil surface, isolating oxygen and rapidly cooling the oil.
4. High-Grade Liquid Soap and Detergents: Used in printing and dyeing and daily chemical industries to manufacture mild, foaming, and highly detergency potassium soaps, or as a pH stabilizer in liquid detergents.
5. Organic Synthesis Catalyst: Widely used in alkylation, acylation, and transesterification reactions. Because it is slightly soluble in some organic solvents, it provides a moderately alkaline environment, catalyzing reactions while minimizing side reactions.
6. High-efficiency dehydrating agent: In fine chemicals, it is often used to absorb trace amounts of moisture from organic liquids, making it an excellent chemical dehydrating agent.
Food grade:
1. Chinese pastries and traditional noodles: Potassium carbonate is a core ingredient in preparing "lye water." Adding it to dough neutralizes the acidity of fermentation products, enhances the elasticity and toughness of gluten, giving noodles a smooth and chewy texture, and imparting a unique pale yellow color and aroma (such as Cantonese mooncake crust and ramen).
2. Cocoa bean "alkalization" treatment: Cocoa beans are soaked in potassium carbonate solution during cocoa powder processing. This reduces the acidity of cocoa, improves its flavor, makes its color deeper and richer, and significantly increases the solubility and suspension of cocoa powder in water.
3. Buffer component in food leavening agents: Used in some high-end leavening agent formulations to balance the rate of gas production.
Agricultural-grade high-quality and efficient potassium fertilizer: After being applied to the soil, it provides plants with the potassium they need. At the same time, the carbonate ions it releases can neutralize the acidity in the soil, making it very suitable for improving acidic soils. It can promote crop root development and enhance disease resistance and lodging resistance.
Technical indicators:
Test Item | Standard Requirement | Test Result |
Potassium carbonate (K2CO3) (after ignition), % | ≥99.0 | 99.1 |
Chlorides (as KCl), % | ≤0.01 | 0.004 |
Sulfur compounds (as K2SO4), % | ≤0.04 | 0.04 |
Iron (Fe), % | ≤0.002 | 0.0004 |
Loss on ignition, % | ≤0.80 | 0.13 |
Water insoluble matter, % | ≤0.03 | 0.003 |
Residue on 1.4 mm sieve, % | ≤1.0 | 1.0 |
Residue on 180 μm sieve, % | ≥85.0 | 93.0 |
Bulk density, g/mL | ≥1.2 | 1.4 |
Packaging:
Net weight 25kg, composite kraft paper bag lined with PVC bag;