P1472

Potassium carbonate

meets USP testing specifications

• Synonym(s): Carbonic acid, Pearl ash, Salt of tartar, dipotassium salt, potash
• Linear Formula: K₂CO₃
• CAS Number: 584-08-7
• Molecular Weight: 138.21
• Beilstein/REAXYS Number: 4267587
• EC Number: 209-529-3
• MDL number: MFCD00011382
• UNSPSC Code: 12161700
• PubChem Substance ID: 24898202
• NACRES: NA.25

Properties

• agency: USP/NF; meets USP testing specifications
• Quality Level: 200
• assay: 99.5-100.5%
• form: crystalline
• mp: 891 °C (lit.)
• solubility: soluble 138 g/L at 20 °C (completely)
• application(s): pharmaceutical (small molecule)
• SMILES string: [K+].[K+].[O-]C([O-])=O
• InChI: 1S/CH2O3.2K/c2-1(3)4;;/h(H2,2,3,4);;/q;2*+1/p-2
• InChI key: BWHMMNNQKKPAPP-UHFFFAOYSA-L

Description

General description

Potassium carbonate(K2CO3), also known as potash or pearl ash, is a white potassium salt. It is soluble in water to form a strong alkaline solution.

Application

• Improved 2-pyridyl reductive homocoupling reaction using biorenewable solvent Cyrene^™(dihydrolevoglucosenone).: This study highlights the use of potassium carbonate as a base in a green chemistry context, demonstrating improved reductive homocoupling reactions with the use of the biorenewable solvent Cyrene^™. The findings suggest significant applications in sustainable chemical processes (Webb et al., 2023).


• Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Magnolol and Honokiol Derivatives with 1,3,5-Triazine of Metformin Cyclization.: This research discusses the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel derivatives using potassium carbonate, which plays a crucial role in the cyclization process. The study has implications for drug development and medicinal chemistry (Ren et al., 2020).


• Synthesis of (18)F-radiolabeled organophosphine fluorides for thiol-chemoselective peptide conjugation.: The use of potassium carbonate in the synthesis of radiolabeled compounds is detailed in this paper, highlighting its application in biochemistry and molecular biology for the development of novel imaging agents (Zhuang et al., 2020).


• Synthesis of well-defined phosphate-methylated DNA fragments: the application of potassium carbonate in methanol as deprotecting reagent.: This study focuses on the critical role of potassium carbonate in the deprotection step during the synthesis of methylated DNA fragments, with implications for genetic research and biotechnology (Kuijpers et al., 1990).

Biochem/physiol Actions

Potassium carbonate(K2CO3) is used as a drying agent for ketones, alcohols, amines, and non-acidic compounds before distillation. It serves as a buffering agent and controls pH during wine and mead production. Potassium carbonate is also used in the extraction of artemisinin, a potent antimalarial drug, from Artemisia annua plant extracts.

Legal Information

CYRENE is a trademark of Circa Group Pvt Ltd

Safety Information

• pictograms: GHS07
• signalword: Warning
• hcodes: H315,H319,H335
• pcodes: P261 - P264 - P271 - P280 - P302 + P352 - P305 + P351 + P338
• Hazard Classifications: Eye Irrit. 2 - Skin Irrit. 2 - STOT SE 3
• target_organs: Respiratory system
• Storage Class: 13 - Non Combustible Solids
• wgk_germany: WGK 1
• flash_point_f: Not applicable
• flash_point_c: Not applicable
• ppe: dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves