Potassium Bromide Formula – Structure, Properties, Uses, Sample Questions

Potassium (K) is a chemical element and its atomic number is 19. Potassium is a silvery-white metal that sifts enough to be cut with a knife with little force. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to form flaky white potassium peroxide in only seconds of exposure. Br is the compound name of Bromine and is an essential element of the periodic table. The bromine substance Br₂ is a rosy earthy colored fluid natural d liquid and is never ordinarily found in its basic structure design yet rather in inorganic combinations, called bromides and in organobromine compounds. These are ordinarily found in soils, salts, air, and seawater.

Potassium Bromide

Potassium bromide is a chemical compound that consists of the elements potassium (K) and bromine (Br). At room temperature, by process of synthesis, potassium reacts with bromine, and potassium bromide is formed.  It is used as an anticonvulsant and sedative. It is also known as Kali bromidum, tripotassium tribromide, and bromide salt of potassium. It is a colorless crystalline Powder. This compound is completely soluble in water, when put into water, it can be quickly disassociated into individual ions and disappear. 

Potassium bromide formula

The formula for potassium bromide is KBr. The chemical equation of Potassium Bromide is,

 2K + Br₂ ⇢ 2KBr

Structure of Potassium Bromide

The structure of potassium bromide is created by a single cation K⁺ and a single anion Br^–.The crystalline structure of this salt is octahedral. This structure is formed by one potassium cation surrounded by six bromine anions and also vice versa.

Physical properties of Potassium Bromide

• The molar weight of Potassium Bromide is 119.002 gm/mol.
• The density of potassium bromide is 2.74 gm/cm³.
• The melting point of potassium bromide is 734°C.
• The Boiling point of potassium bromide is 1435°C.
• It is not present in nature.
• It tastes bitter, salty, and pungent.
• It is soluble in water at (535 g/L at 0°C, 678 g/L at 25°C and 1020 g/L at 100°C), Glycerol at 217 g/L, and ethanol at 47.6 g/L at 80°C.
• It has a pH value of 7 in an aqueous solution.

Chemical Properties of Potassium Bromide

• Potassium bromide is an ionic salt, completely disassociated  
• It can be used in the production of silver bromide for photographic films, this reaction is crucial. 
  The following is the reaction,

KBr + AgNO₃ → AgBr + KNO₃.

• When  potassium bromide reacted  with copper (II) bromide, it forms, 

2 KBr + CuBr₂ → K₂[CuBr₄].

Uses of Potassium Bromide

• It is used as a medicine against anticonvulsants and sedatives. 
• It is used as an antiepileptic medicine for veterinary uses. 
• This is operated in the infrared spectroscopy technique for formation with zero optical absorption.
• It is used in the photographic plates and paper manufacturing industry.
• It is also used in Nylon production. It is used for water treatments in aquariums.
• It is used as a chemical agent, laboratory agent, and manufacturing of chemicals.

Sample Questions

Question 1: What type of bond does potassium bromide have?

Answer: 

Potassium Bromide is an ionic bond with 2 elements one metal and one non metal like potassium (K) and Bromide (Br).At room temperature, by process of synthesis, potassium reacts with bromine and  potassium bromide is formed

Question 2: What are the harmful hazards of Potassium Bromide?

Answer:

When Potassium bromide consumed in high concentration, it can irritate the mucous membrane of the gastric, causes vomitings.
It can also causes depression, weakness, fatigue , constipation, increased urination and coma.

Question 3: How can Bromine (Br) separate from Potassium Bromide solution?

Answer: 

Chlorine is considered the stronger oxidizing substance, than bromine. When chlorine is reacted with potassium bromide  it generate KCl and bromine gas. The chemical equation of this reaction-

2KBr + Cl₂  ⇢ 2 KCl + Br₂

Question 4: What are the applications of Potassium Bromide?

Answer:

 It is used as a medicine against anticonvulsant and sedative. It is used as an antiepileptic medicine for veterinary uses. This is operated in the infrared spectroscopy technique for formation with zero optical absorption. It is also used in the photographic plates and paper manufacturing industry. There are plenty of uses of potassium bromide.

Question 5: What happens when potassium bromide is dissolved in water?

Answer:

When  potassium bromide is dissolved in water it gets separated into ions of potassium K⁺ and bromine, Br^– ons. The water molecules surround these ions to create a surface layer.

Question 6: How does potassium bromide work?

Answer:

Potassium bromide acts as chloride ions fight for entry to brain tissues. If the bromide levels in the brain increases and the chloride levels falls, then the electrical activity in the central nervous system is disrupted, making it difficult to cause a seizure.