potassium hydroxide

noun

: a white deliquescent solid KOH that dissolves in water with much heat to form a strongly alkaline and caustic liquid and is used chiefly in making soap and as a reagent

Examples of potassium hydroxide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cleaners that contain sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide are even worse. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 In their device, two electrodes, separated by a thin film that keeps oxygen and hydrogen apart, are immersed in a concentrated potassium hydroxide electrolyte solution. IEEE Spectrum, 14 Dec. 2022 This can be achieved by carefully adding a base, such as sodium bicarbonate or potassium hydroxide, to neutralize any excess acidity present in the mixture. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2023 Univar also stored chemicals next to each other that shouldn’t have been next to each other, like sulfuric acid next to potassium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide and nitric acid next to potassium permanganate, ammonium persulfate, and hydrogen peroxide, according to the EPA’s allegations. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Jan. 2023 The electrolyte in between is potassium hydroxide. Miriam Fauzia, Popular Mechanics, 8 Sep. 2022 Early one November morning last year, a tractor-trailer hauling potassium hydroxide crashed into another truck that had jackknifed on the Brent Spence Bridge, igniting an enormous fire over the Ohio River that shut down the antiquated span connecting Cincinnati and northern Kentucky for six weeks. New York Times, 1 May 2021 The governor said the news could have been much worse, but inspectors have determined the crash, which occurred early last Wednesday when a truck carrying potassium hydroxide crashed into a jackknifed semi, did not cause structural damage to the 57-year-old double-decker structure. Steve Bittenbender, Washington Examiner, 17 Nov. 2020 The air is pushed through a plastic mesh coated with a potassium hydroxide solution, which binds with the carbon dioxide. IEEE Spectrum, 6 Jan. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'potassium hydroxide.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of potassium hydroxide was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near potassium hydroxide

Cite this Entry

“Potassium hydroxide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potassium%20hydroxide. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

potassium hydroxide

noun
: a white solid that dissolves in water to form a very alkaline liquid and is used especially in making soap

Medical Definition

potassium hydroxide

noun
: a white deliquescent solid KOH that dissolves in water with much heat to form a strongly alkaline liquid and that is used as a powerful caustic and in the making of pharmaceuticals

called also caustic potash

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