Potassium hydroxide, pellets, reagent, 95%

Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula KOH, commonly called caustic potash. Most applications exploit its reactivity toward acids and its corrosive nature. Many potassium salts are prepared by neutralization reactions involving KOH. The potassium salts of carbonate, cyanide, permanganate, phosphate, and various silicates are prepared by treating either the oxides or the acids with KOH. The high solubility of potassium phosphate is desirable in fertilizers. Although more expensive than using sodium hydroxide, KOH works well in the manufacture of biodiesel by transesterification of the triglycerides in vegetable oil. Glycerin from potassium hydroxide-processed biodiesel is useful as an inexpensive food supplement for livestock Aqueous potassium hydroxide is employed as the electrolyte in alkaline battaries based on nickel-cadmium and manganese dioxide-zinc.Potassium hydroxide is preferred over sodium hydroxide because its solutions are more conductive.