Skip to Content
Merck

221473

Sigma-Aldrich

Potassium hydroxide

ACS reagent, ≥85%, pellets

Synonym(s):

Caustic potash

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

Linear Formula:
KOH
CAS Number:
Molecular Weight:
56.11
EC Number:
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12352106
eCl@ss:
38100303
PubChem Substance ID:
NACRES:
NA.21

grade

ACS reagent

Quality Level

Agency

suitable for EPA 1621
suitable for EPA 1633

vapor pressure

1 mmHg ( 719 °C)

Assay

≥85%

form

pellets

impurities

≤0.001% N compounds
≤2.0% K2CO3
10-15% water

pH

~13.5 (25 °C, 5.6 g/L)

mp

361 °C (lit.)

anion traces

chloride (Cl-): ≤0.01%
phosphate (PO43-): ≤5 ppm
sulfate (SO42-): ≤0.003%

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

General description

Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic salt mainly used as a precursor to synthesize other potassium compounds such as potassium acetate,[1] potassium bicarbonate and potassium carbonate.[2] On a commercial scale, it is synthesized by the electrolysis of potassium chloride.[3]

Application

Potassium hydroxide may be used in the following processes:
  • Conversion of nitriles to amide in tert-butanol.[4]
  • Cross-coupling of aryl halides with different sulfur-, oxygen- and nitrogen-based nucleophiles in dimethyl sulfoxide.[5]
  • As an activator for the preparation of activated carbons from corn cobs.[6]
  • As a base for the N-alkylation of nitrogen heterocycles in polyethylene glycol-ether solvents.[7]
  • Synthesis of (S)-1-(4-benzyl-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)propan-1-one from (S)-phenylalaninol.[8]
  • To catalyze the polymerization of propylene oxide.[9]

Pictograms

CorrosionExclamation mark

Signal Word

Danger

Hazard Statements

Hazard Classifications

Acute Tox. 4 Oral - Eye Dam. 1 - Met. Corr. 1 - Skin Corr. 1A

Storage Class Code

8A - Combustible corrosive hazardous materials

WGK

WGK 1

Flash Point(F)

Not applicable

Flash Point(C)

Not applicable


Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Need A Sample COA?

This is a sample Certificate of Analysis (COA) and may not represent a recently manufactured lot of this specific product.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

A simple method for converting nitriles to amides. Hydrolysis with potassium hydroxide in tert-butyl alcohol
Hall JH & Gisler M
The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 41(23), 3769-3770 (1976)
Synthesis and diastereoselective aldol reactions of a thiazolidinethione chiral auxiliary
Crimmins MT, et al
Organic Syntheses, 364-376 (2012)
Dimethyl Sulfoxide/Potassium Hydroxide: A Superbase for the Transition Metal-Free Preparation of Cross-Coupling Products
Yuan Y, et al
Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis, 352(17), 2892-2898 (2010)
Potassium acetate by fermentation with Clostridium thermoaceticum
Shah MM, et al.
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology (1997)
N-Alkylation of pyrrole, indole, and several other nitrogen heterocycles using potassium hydroxide as a base in the presence of polyethylene glycols or their dialkyl ethers
Sukata K
Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 56(1), 280-284 (1983)

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service