Definition

Noun: 1. A chemical element: A light, soft, silver-white metallic element belonging to the alkali metal group on the periodic table. It is highly reactive, oxidizing rapidly in air and reacting violently with water. It is abundant in nature but only in combined forms within minerals and compounds, such as in seawater, carnallite, kainite, and sylvite.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Potassium, which is atomic number 19, is essential for human nerve function.
  • The chemist studied the properties of atomic number 19.
  • Seawater contains ions of atomic number 19.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific Notation: In technical and scientific writing, "atomic number 19" is used as a precise identifier for the element potassium, especially in contexts where elemental symbols or common names might be ambiguous.
  • The isotope of interest was that of atomic number 19.

Variants and Related Words

• Potassium (K): The common name and chemical symbol for atomic number 19.
  • Bananas are a good source of potassium.

Synonyms

• Potassium: The standard name for the element.
• K: The chemical symbol derived from its Neo-Latin name 'kalium'.

Noun

1. a light soft silver-white metallic element of the alkali metal group; oxidizes rapidly in air and reacts violently with water; is abundant in nature in combined forms occurring in sea water and in carnallite and kainite and sylvite