eli5: why does potassium react so violently with water but is harmless to us in let’s say a banana ?
In: 7
In bananas potassium is present as a salt. If for some reason potassium is not present as a salt, it will be trying to reach that form as fast as possible. And potassium is very good at that. Potassium, that is the potassium ion, ( disregarding the other exotic forms ) has a single positive charge ( sorry, this is no longer a proper eli5) which is the most common form it takes, which you have in bananas, soil, water and basically everywhere.
The other form, which is by no means common, but can be seen in laboratories is the element form. This is the one that reacts with water in a spectacularly quick fashion.
By it’s very nature potassium does not want to be in it’s element form and will do anything and everything to change the single charge ion form.
Sorry if there are typos, posted with my phone.
Edit: elemental form of potassium would be a lump of metal. It took scientists waaay to long to create potassium as that. It is so violently reactive. That is why whenever potassium is mentioned the form in which it is present never clarified. Basically it only appears as a harmless salt.
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