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Re: OT-ish Re: Fungi - A Primer

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

On potash,  Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, from 1913, says:

  Potash \Pot"ash`\, n. [Pot + ash.] (Chem.)
     (a) The hydroxide of potassium hydrate, a hard white brittle
         substance, {KOH}, having strong caustic and alkaline
         properties; -- hence called also {caustic potash}.
     (b) The impure potassium carbonate obtained by leaching wood
         ashes, either as a strong solution (lye), or as a white
         crystalline (pearlash).

I believe wood ash actually consists largely of metal compounds such as
potassium carbonate.

(Apparently you can derive potassium hydroxide from potassium carbonate
by mixing it with quicklime; the resulting double-replacement reaction
produces potassium hydroxide and insoluble calcium carbonate.)

Potassium was discovered in 1807; some random web page
(http://www.studiopotter.org/articles/art0001.htm) claims that the term
"potasch" entered the Dutch language in (presumably they mean "by")
1598, and entered English in ("by"?) 1648.  (Etymology: "pot" + "asch",
both words corresponding to their English meanings.  Ash from wood
burned in pots.)  This strongly suggests to me that "potassium" was
named after potash, not the other way around.

Hope this helps.  (Now where's my "pencil protector"?)

-- 
<kragen@pobox.com>       Kragen Sitaker     <http://www.pobox.com/~kragen/>
The Internet stock bubble didn't burst on 1999-11-08.  Hurrah!
<URL:http://www.pobox.com/~kragen/bubble.html>
The power didn't go out on 2000-01-01 either.  :)


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