K2CO3
potassium carbonate · potash, pearl ash, salt of tartar
Potassium carbonate is a stable, insulating inorganic salt widely utilized as a versatile chemical reagent and industrial base.

About potassium carbonate
Potassium carbonate is a thermodynamically stable inorganic compound that exhibits wide-band-gap insulating behavior. Its robust structural profile, supported by numerous experimental reports, makes it a reliable and essential reagent in industrial chemistry.
This compound serves as a critical precursor for various potassium-based chemicals and is frequently employed as a mild alkaline agent. Its stability under standard conditions ensures its utility across a broad spectrum of manufacturing and laboratory applications.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for potassium carbonate, aggregated across 4 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Applications
Where potassium carbonate is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about potassium carbonate, answered from cross-validated data.
What is K2CO3?
Potassium carbonate is a stable, insulating inorganic salt widely utilized as a versatile chemical reagent and industrial base.
What is K2CO3 used for?
What is the band gap of K2CO3?
Is K2CO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is K2CO3 thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of K2CO3 are known?
What elements does K2CO3 contain?
Where does the data for K2CO3 come from?
How It Compares
As a fundamental inorganic salt, this compound functions as a cornerstone of industrial chemistry, providing a stable and highly soluble source of potassium that is indispensable for large-scale chemical synthesis and glass production.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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