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Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: taregg on 02/02/2016 17:59:03

Title: what happens if we put potassium in liquid hydrogen...?
Post by: taregg on 02/02/2016 17:59:03

what happens if we put potassium in liquid hydrogen.....doest burn or explode. .

Title: Re: what happens if we put potassium in liquid hydrogen...?
Post by: taregg on 02/02/2016 19:09:27

example when potassium react with water........the potassium react violently with hydrogen and produse burning fire ....the hydrogen gas it will get out.....

Title: Re: what happens if we put potassium in liquid hydrogen...?
Post by: chiralSPO on 02/02/2016 19:20:36

I would imagine that it would react slowly to form potassium hydride (KH), if the potassium is clean(molten potassium reacts quickly with gaseous hydrogen to form KH). If the surface of the potassium is oxidized and covered in potassium superoxide it could well explode on contact with liquid hydrogen (or any other flammable liquid).

Potassium will react violently with liquids containing H⁺ ions, or that will easily produce them (like acids, water, methanol...) but this is very different from H₂, which does not easily produce H⁺ ions.

Title: Re: what happens if we put potassium in liquid hydrogen...?
Post by: Bored chemist on 02/02/2016 19:52:29

Quote from: taregg on 02/02/2016 17:59:03

what happens if we put potassium in liquid hydrogen.....doest burn or explode. .

It will get really cold.
And most chemical reactions get slower as the temperature drops.
Practically nothing would happen.

Title: Re: what happens if we put potassium in liquid hydrogen...?
Post by: chiralSPO on 02/02/2016 20:34:49

Quote from: Bored chemist on 02/02/2016 19:52:29

Quote from: taregg on 02/02/2016 17:59:03

what happens if we put potassium in liquid hydrogen.....doest burn or explode. .

It will get really cold.
And most chemical reactions get slower as the temperature drops.
Practically nothing would happen.

Liquid hydrogen doesn't necessarily have to be cold, it could just be very high pressure... There are also plenty of reactions that still occur at cryogenic temperatures. But I agree, if the question is regarding reactions at 20 K (boiling point of hydrogen at 1 atm), I would not be surprised if nothing happened.