10 Things to Consider When Buying Potassium Hydroxide Solution

Potassium hydroxide (KOH) is an odourless, white or yellow inorganic compound that’s usually in flaky or lumpy solid form at room temperature. 

YongYing are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

It’s often used to make liquid soap, although KOH has many other household and industrial applications too. For example, it’s a common component in liquid drain cleaners and paint and varnish removers. Potassium hydroxide is also used as an electrolyte in alkaline batteries and in lithography and electroplating. 

In this post:

What is potassium hydroxide?

Potassium hydroxide is classified as an inorganic strong base because it completely dissociates into metal ions and hydroxide ions when dissolved in water. It has the chemical formula KOH, which has a strong ionic bond between an alkali metal and hydroxide group.

Much like sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide is known for its wide variety of uses. In fact, it’s estimated that around 800,000 metric tonnes of potassium hydroxide are produced every year. Furthermore, the global market for this chemical is estimated to grow to $2.79 billion by . 

The global production of potassium hydroxide is primarily used to manufacture potassium carbonate (K2CO3), as shown in the balanced chemical equation below.

CO2 + 2KOH → K2CO3 + H2O

The reaction between carbon dioxide and potassium hydroxide produces potassium carbonate and water. In turn, the potassium carbonate serves as a feedstock in synthesising various organic and inorganic chemical products, including fertilisers intended for acidic soil. It’s also used as a raw material for condensation agents and drying neutralisation. 

Is potassium hydroxide dangerous?

Potassium hydroxide is extremely caustic, especially at high concentrations. On contact, it can irritate or burn the skin and even damage the mucous membranes. Here are some of the main hazards associated with potassium hydroxide:

• Toxic when inhaled or ingested
• Can irritate the nose and throat 
• May cause headaches and dizziness
• Can damage the eyes and cause blindness
• If inhaled, it can irritate the lungs and cause a build-up of fluid (pulmonary oedema)

It’s important to take extra precautions when handling solid or highly-concentrated potassium hydroxide solutions in the laboratory. You must avoid getting into direct contact with it and you always wear goggles, gloves and personal protective clothing such as a lab gown or apron. It’s also advisable to wear gloves if you’re using a low concentration solution of potassium hydroxide as a cleaning agent.

And, of course, you’ll need to be aware of the relevant first aid remedies in case you come into contact with potassium hydroxide, whether on the skin, in the eyes or through inhalation or ingestion.

Want more information on Potassium Hydroxide Solution? Feel free to contact us.

Is potassium hydroxide an acid?

Potassium hydroxide is not an acid; it’s actually the opposite, which is a base or alkaline. However, in pure solid anhydrous form, potassium hydroxide is technically a salt because of its ionic bonds and crystalline structure.

In this form, it’s neither an acid nor a base. It only becomes a base or alkaline solution when it absorbs moisture or is dissolved in water.

An aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide is classified as a base for several reasons:

• It has a pH level above 7 (neutral), which can turn red litmus paper blue
• The ions completely dissociate into metallic ions and hydroxyl ions
• It has a dissociation constant (Kb) of 3.16 X 10-1
• It becomes a proton acceptor, which makes it a base according to the Brønsted-Lowry definition

Is potassium hydroxide a strong base?

Yes, potassium hydroxide is a strong base. Strong bases are defined by their ability to completely dissociate into cations and hydroxyl ions (-OH) in an aqueous solution. They also tend to be monoprotic bases, which means they only accept one proton per molecule.

Another indication of a base’s strength is its dissociation constant, which in this case is (Kb) of 3.16 X 10-1.

What is the use of potassium hydroxide?

Here are some of the most common applications of potassium hydroxide:

• Liquid soaps – many liquid soaps are made from potassium hydroxide. They tend to be softer than those made from sodium hydroxide and require less water to be dissolved. That means they can easily be converted into liquid form.
• Food processing – potassium hydroxide is used in the food industry as a thickening agent, to control pH levels, and as a food stabiliser.
• A precursor to other potassium compounds – many inorganic and organic potassium salts are prepared through the neutralisation reactions of potassium hydroxide with acids. Some of the more common salts that are produced in this way include carbonate, cyanide, permanganate, phosphate, and various silicates. Potassium phosphate, which is used as an ingredient in fertilisers and explosives, is one such example. 
• Battery electrolyte – many types of rechargeable alkaline batteries use an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide as an electrolyte because it’s more conductive than sodium hydroxide. This is especially true for batteries that are based on nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydrogen, and manganese dioxide-zinc.
• Chemical cremation – as potassium hydroxide is highly caustic, it can easily dissolve organic tissue. It’s therefore used in the resomation (alkaline hydrolysis) or chemical cremation of human remains. It can also be used in entomology to dissolve soft insect tissue and reveal the finer details of exoskeletons.
• Hair removal – potassium hydroxide can be an effective means of removing hair from animal hides during the tanning process.

When it comes to its chemical and physical properties, potassium hydroxide is almost identical to sodium hydroxide. It’s perhaps no surprise then that their applications are virtually interchangeable. One notable difference is that sodium hydroxide is preferred for large-scale industrial applications because it’s more affordable. 

What type of substance will neutralise the potassium hydroxide solution?

Being a strong base means potassium hydroxide is easily neutralised by any strong acid. As a monoprotic base, it can also be neutralised by higher concentrations of weak acids. These neutralisation reactions produce potassium salts. The example below shows how nitric acid can easily neutralise potassium hydroxide:

HNO3 + KOH → H2O + KNO3

What is the difference between sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide?

Sodium and potassium belong to the same alkali metals group in the periodic table. As such, both are highly reactive elements that cannot be found naturally in elemental form.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Electronic Chemicals for Wafer Cleaning. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Author: Subject: Should Pharmacists know what Potassium Hydroxide is? RogueRose
International Hazard




Posts:
Registered: 16-6-
Member Is Offline


posted on 9-1- at 21:17 Should Pharmacists know what Potassium Hydroxide is?


So I walk up to the pharmacist and ask if he can order some KOH (I said "potassium hydroxide") and I got a confused look and was asked "if it came in pills or something"... I had no idea how to react and I figured it may be better to order elsewhere. Later I wondered if he had said "prills" but I've never heard of KOH referred to as prills but beads.

I went to another pharmacy in town and asked the PHARMACIST the same thing and was told she had never heard of it and didn't stock it. She asked what it was used for and I told her (drain opener, soap making - mentioned fight club scene, as a major chemical in industry for production of 's of chems) and the response was, "that sounds dangerous, I don't think I should order that". This was the pharmacist that fills the controlled scripts, so she has been through school for the job - the first pharm was the same - he was ~15-20yrs older than the girl.

I can't tell you how mad I was at being denied, at them not having it (lol ) and mostly the stupidity of the people who claim to be "as smart and as trained as doctors) when they deny scripts b/c they know more than the prescribing doctor (that is a major problem in the US for some people, there have been suicides due to pharmacist harassment of some patients - openly telling people what meds customers use).

Just thought I would share the story and see what other think,, KesterDraconis
Hazard to Self




Posts: 78
Registered: 27-3-
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood
posted on 9-1- at 22:47

Quote: Originally posted by RogueRose  So I walk up to the pharmacist and ask if he can order some KOH (I said "potassium hydroxide") and I got a confused look and was asked "if it came in pills or something"... I had no idea how to react and I figured it may be better to order elsewhere. Later I wondered if he had said "prills" but I've never heard of KOH referred to as prills but beads.

I went to another pharmacy in town and asked the PHARMACIST the same thing and was told she had never heard of it and didn't stock it. She asked what it was used for and I told her (drain opener, soap making - mentioned fight club scene, as a major chemical in industry for production of 's of chems) and the response was, "that sounds dangerous, I don't think I should order that". This was the pharmacist that fills the controlled scripts, so she has been through school for the job - the first pharm was the same - he was ~15-20yrs older than the girl.

I can't tell you how mad I was at being denied, at them not having it (lol ) and mostly the stupidity of the people who claim to be "as smart and as trained as doctors) when they deny scripts b/c they know more than the prescribing doctor (that is a major problem in the US for some people, there have been suicides due to pharmacist harassment of some patients - openly telling people what meds customers use).

Just thought I would share the story and see what other think,,

Well, I wouldn't really be going to a pharmacist to order this stuff anyway, Amazon is a nice place.

That said, I did one time ask for some glycerin at a pharmacy, in hopes of using it to lubricate lab equipment, and various reaction (lighting thermite, nitroglycerin, and so on)

The woman pharmacist there walked over to one of the shelves looking little frustrated/confused, and asked me to state my request again, and looked around for a bit. After a bit she picked up one of the boxes and said, "This should do you, I don't know for sure though. Why are you having the constipation?"

I laughed, and explained that I actually just wanted plain, pure, glycerin, glycerol, or whatever name. It suddenly dawned on her what she had done, and immediately put the box of suppositories down and took me to a different part of the store. I got what I wanted, and she explained that a lot of people will simply refer to the suppositories, no matter what they really are, as "glycerin". RogueRose
International Hazard




Posts:
Registered: 16-6-
Member Is Offline


posted on 9-1- at 23:28

Quote: Originally posted by KesterDraconis   Quote: Originally posted by RogueRose  So I walk up to the pharmacist and ask if he can order some KOH (I said "potassium hydroxide") and I got a confused look and was asked "if it came in pills or something"... I had no idea how to react and I figured it may be better to order elsewhere. Later I wondered if he had said "prills" but I've never heard of KOH referred to as prills but beads.

I went to another pharmacy in town and asked the PHARMACIST the same thing and was told she had never heard of it and didn't stock it. She asked what it was used for and I told her (drain opener, soap making - mentioned fight club scene, as a major chemical in industry for production of 's of chems) and the response was, "that sounds dangerous, I don't think I should order that". This was the pharmacist that fills the controlled scripts, so she has been through school for the job - the first pharm was the same - he was ~15-20yrs older than the girl.

I can't tell you how mad I was at being denied, at them not having it (lol ) and mostly the stupidity of the people who claim to be "as smart and as trained as doctors) when they deny scripts b/c they know more than the prescribing doctor (that is a major problem in the US for some people, there have been suicides due to pharmacist harassment of some patients - openly telling people what meds customers use).

Just thought I would share the story and see what other think,,

Well, I wouldn't really be going to a pharmacist to order this stuff anyway, Amazon is a nice place.

That said, I did one time ask for some glycerin at a pharmacy, in hopes of using it to lubricate lab equipment, and various reaction (lighting thermite, nitroglycerin, and so on)

The woman pharmacist there walked over to one of the shelves looking little frustrated/confused, and asked me to state my request again, and looked around for a bit. After a bit she picked up one of the boxes and said, "This should do you, I don't know for sure though. Why are you having the constipation?"

I laughed, and explained that I actually just wanted plain, pure, glycerin, glycerol, or whatever name. It suddenly dawned on her what she had done, and immediately put the box of suppositories down and took me to a different part of the store. I got what I wanted, and she explained that a lot of people will simply refer to the suppositories, no matter what they really are, as "glycerin".

Well you may not go to a pharmacy to get it, but that certainly doesn't make it the wrong place to go in my situation. I needed high quality (min food grade) KOH, hopefully same day, so are there really any other options? This place supplies hospitals, Doc offices and labs, so I think that is a reasonable place to shop for something like that in addition to them being a compounding pharmy..

[Edited on 10-1- by RogueRose] JJay
International Hazard




Posts:
Registered: 15-10-
Member Is Offline


posted on 9-1- at 23:42

Pharmacists should have a pretty good chemistry background, but often they don't remember a lot of what they probably learned in school. I would be pretty surprised if a pharmacist doesn't know what potassium hydroxide is, but I wouldn't expect most pharmacies to carry it since it isn't usually used in pharmacy formulations or home remedies.

They might know where to get it locally, though, so it's probably not a bad place to ask.

Oh and soap shops often carry food grade KOH. j_sum1
Administrator




Posts:
Registered: 4-10-
Location: At home
Member Is Offline

Mood: Most of the ducks are in a row
posted on 10-1- at 00:04

Around here a "pharmacy" is often called a "chemist". It is a misnomer. There are two kinds of staff inside -- the qualified pharmacists who dispense prescriptions and will also advise you on cold "remedies" and heamorrhoid cream and other products that are not on the display shelves. Then there are the other staff who will attempt to sell you homeopathic remedies, cosmetics and hair dye.
So, although I have bought 6% peroxide, potassium permanganate and glycerine from the pharmacy, it would never occur to me to ask about KOH. I doubt it is regularly stocked and I have never seen it on the shelves.
OTOH, I would expect the qualified pharmacist to remember enough basic chemistry to know what it is. But given that these same people occasionally come to the front of the store to show homeopathic alternatives, I would really not be at all surprised if their science knowledge proved almost entirely lacking.



unionised
International Hazard




Posts:
Registered: 1-11-
Location: UK
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood
posted on 10-1- at 02:28

Should Pharmacists know what Potassium Hydroxide is?
Yes
http://www.uspbpep.com/bp/data/.asp aga
Forum Drunkard




Posts:
Registered: 25-3-
Member Is Offline


posted on 10-1- at 11:53

A Pharmacist knows very well what potassium hydroxide is.

A pre-requisite for the degree course is an A level in Chemistry.

They simply did not want to sell you any or are prohibited from doing so, or just did not have any.

Mostly they sell 'remedial' chemical formulations in specific doses/formats, not bulk IOC chemicals.

It is highly unlikely that a Doctor will prescribe a cup of KOH 4 times a day.

Pharmacology is all about how IOC and OC reagents interact with living biochemical systems, usually when said systems are already in far-from-normal conditions, which is a tad more complex than soap making.

[Edited on 10-1- by aga]



KesterDraconis
Hazard to Self




Posts: 78
Registered: 27-3-
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood
posted on 10-1- at 13:16

Quote: Originally posted by aga  A Pharmacist knows very well what potassium hydroxide is.

A pre-requisite for the degree course is an A level in Chemistry.

They simply did not want to sell you any or are prohibited from doing so, or just did not have any.

Mostly they sell 'remedial' chemical formulations in specific doses/formats, not bulk IOC chemicals.

It is highly unlikely that a Doctor will prescribe a cup of KOH 4 times a day.

Pharmacology is all about how IOC and OC reagents interact with living biochemical systems, usually when said systems are already in far-from-normal conditions, which is a tad more complex than soap making.

[Edited on 10-1- by aga]

Yeah, pure bulk chemicals really isn't there thing. Its about the chemistry of healing and health there, not just chemistry, so if its not commonly used to help the body recover from a wound or fight of an illness, then its probably not there. TheChemiKid
Hazard to Others




Posts: 493
Registered: 5-8-
Location: ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'̵͇̿̿з=༼ ▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿ ༽
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood
posted on 10-1- at 15:07

Even if they're not a good source of KOH, they should still know about it in my opinion.

I've noticed the local pharmacists I've met know nothing about chemistry. They seem to be more like people who organize and give out pills than anything else.



When the police come


\( * O * )/ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'̵͇̿̿з=༼ ▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿ ༽
phlogiston
International Hazard




Posts:
Registered: 26-4-
Location: Neon Thorium Erbium Lanthanum Neodymium Sulphur
Member Is Offline

Mood: pyrophoric
posted on 10-1- at 15:40

The average pharmacists doesn't use any chemistry knowledge in daily practice, and as a result they know almost nothing in this area. (There are rare exceptions ofcourse).

You can exploit this.

The young, inexperienced, pretty female pharmacist in the small village I lived in when I was young and just getting started in chemistry (>25 years ago) happily gave me a kg of potassium chlorate when I asked for 'kalii chloras'. I found about its latin name in an old encyclopedia and one day when I felt bold and saved up a little money decided to try if they had it.
To this day I have no idea why they even stocked this stuff, but only with great effort did I contain my joy when she returned with a large container from their storage room and simply stated its price, wrote a receipt and handed me what I then thought would be a lifetime supply of a very exciting chemical.

A few years later, I tried again asking for sodium azide, potassium perchlorate and magnesium powder but only got funny looks. Now, I would not even dare to ask.

[Edited on 10-1- by phlogiston]



-----
"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer Magpie
lab constructor




Posts:
Registered: 1-11-
Location: USA
Member Is Offline

Mood: Chemistry: the subtle science.
posted on 10-1- at 17:54

I think pharmacists are schooled well in chemistry as the pharmacy school in my area only has room for the best students in organic chemistry. But they probably quickly forget it as it is not needed for their job of using computer programs to check for drug interactions and doing other paperwork. Only one pharmacy in my area does actual compounding.

When my old mother was running low on potassium she was taking a prescription for "KCl." This would be a high purity but prohibitively expensive way to obtain potassium chloride.

A few years back I got up enough nerve to ask my local Rite-Aid pharmacist for chloroform and some other chemicals I thought he might stock. He tried to be helpful and would have sold them to me if he had them. But he could only get what was in his catalog which he let me peruse. I didn't see anything in this of use to the home chemist.



The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem gregxy
Hazard to Others




Posts: 421
Registered: 26-5-
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood
posted on 13-1- at 11:15

When I went to the doctor to have an ingrown toenail treated she put a small drop of NaOH solution in the nail bed to stop it from growing back. She seemed surprised that I knew what NaOH was.

All the pharmacists that I go to simply sell pills. They don't mix anything. Maybe a compounding pharmacy would have a better supply and know more, although its easier to say "I don't know what it is" than explain why you can't have it.

Ages ago the drugstore had bottles of S, KNO3 and KMnO4 on the shelf.
I think KClO3 was used in mouthwash and as weed killer.
JJay
International Hazard




Posts:
Registered: 15-10-
Member Is Offline


posted on 13-1- at 12:11

I went to a pharmacy yesterday and asked for potassium permanganate and was told by the licensed pharmacist that all they had was potassium chloride. I explained to her that I was more interested in the permanganate part, and she told me that she couldn't place small orders. She then suggested that I go to a specific health food store that actually does carry lots of interesting chemicals, although I didn't have time to wait around to place an order. Texium
Thread Moved
14-1- at 05:54 BuTTeRz
Harmless




Posts: 3
Registered: 1-2-
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood
posted on 28-1- at 20:14

cool topic nice opinions.






Democritus - I would rather discover one scientific fact than become King of Persia.
Pythagoras - Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.



JJay
International Hazard




Posts:
Registered: 15-10-
Member Is Offline


posted on 28-1- at 20:35

I have found that most pharmacists seem to know almost nothing about chemistry. They surely had some chemistry education at some point, but most seem to remember very little of it. I don't think people approach them asking them to order chemicals very often, and they are also often reluctant to order anything that might not be used for medicinal purposes. Some will, and some have great knowledge, but typically pharmacies are very expensive places to buy chemicals anyway.





PirateDocBrown
National Hazard




Posts: 570
Registered: 27-11-
Location: Minnesota
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood
posted on 28-1- at 21:48

It wasn't always the case. In the 70s, as a kid with a chemistry set under the basement stairs, my local pharmacist could get me potassium nitrate and sulfur. Probably some other things, too, but that's what I was playing with. Cheaper than the Perfect chemistry set refills I could get in the toy section of the local department store. I suspect if I had had more chemical knowledge at that age, I likely could have found some quite interesting things at the hardware store, too.



Phlogiston manufacturer/supplier.

For all your phlogiston needs. Sigmatropic
Hazard to Others




Posts: 307
Registered: 29-1-
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood
posted on 28-1- at 22:18

I remember going to a family owned pharmacy lately asking for KOH. I sort of wanted to support the local place, instead of some internet venue. Note that I had bought nitric acid from the old man some several years before. But now the young woman had never heard of KOH and 'could not order it', the application of making soft soaps was unheard of. Apparently times are changing and not for the better at least for us.

I'm more optimistic. The internet has arguably created a golden age for home chemists; the availability of most chemicals to the average Joe has never been higher. I recently ordered a mildly exotic reagent at a fantastic price from a Russian lab. Twenty years ago I probably wouldn't have been able to get it at all outside of the context of a legitimate corporation or educational institute and even then only at considerably higher cost.

There also seems to have been a rise of interest in hobby scale crafting in fields like fireworks, photography, pottery, biodiesel, etc. There's a lot of chemicals out there being sold from non-'chemistry' suppliers to hobbyists.

The local pharmacy might not be the source it once was, but sources for hobby chemists have never been better! :-)