Types of Chemical Reactions- Reaction of Potassium Metal with Bromine

Reaction of Potassium Metal with Bromine

Description: A small piece of potassium held at a distance in forceps is touched to a small amount of liquid bromine. A vigorous reaction ensues, accompanied by a loud snap.

This demonstration is also available on video and JCE “Chemistry Comes Alive!”   Vol. 1 CD-Rom

Source: UW Card Catalog

Year: 1999 Vol: 76  Page: 1311

Keywords: Potassium,  Bromine, Exothermic, Ionic

Rating:

Hazard: High

• Acute toxicity hazard – oral, dermal, inhalation
• Serious eye damage
• Skin corrosion hazard
• Flammability hazard
• Acute aquatic toxicity hazard
• Explosion hazard
• Substances that emit flammable gases when wet
• Target organs: eyes, skin, mucus membranes, lungs, nervous system

Effectiveness: Good

• Results are clearly observable without guidance
• Good connection from demo to course material
• Strong effects are seen by audience
• High reliability
• Time to results is low

Difficulty: Medium

• Demos with some intermediate steps to results
• Use of highly reactive reagents
• Demos that require training to perform correctly
• Some fine manipulations required
• Sequential manipulations

Safety Precautions:

• Eye protection required
• Gloves required
• Lab coat recommended
• Vent hood or downdraft hood required
• ABC fire extinguisher on hand
• Avoid exposure to mists, vapors or gases
• Sodium thiosulfate on hand
• Prevent release of reagents to the environment
• Perform on a chemically resistant surface
• Use of safety rod and secondary containment required

Class: Main Group Elements

Division: General Chemistry

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