3 ms·
"... potash, an organic compound..." - immediate Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Potash is the soluble, inorganic leftovers of burnt plant matter. What's interesting
by tape_measure 4y ago
"... potash, an organic compound..." - immediate Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Potash is the soluble, inorganic leftovers of burnt plant matter.
What's interesting is how many different names derive from this production method.
- potassium from "potash" (pot ash, collected burnt stuff)
- K from "kalium", related to calcine (burn to ashes)
- Alkali for basic compounds, which nearly all soluble metal oxides are
- Calcium and Ca also derive from this root
(now let me check all of this so I don't Gell-Mann myself)
- thaumasiotes 4y agoWikipedia suggests that several different minerals have been called "potash", of which one (potassium carbonate) is organic and the rest aren't.
- tape_measure 4y agoMetal carbonates are generally not considered organic.