Potassium chromate
Encyclopedia
Potassium chromate is a yellow chemical indicator used for identifying concentrations of chloride
ions in a salt solution with silver nitrate
(Ag
N
O
3). It is a class two carcinogen
and can cause cancer
on inhalation.
yellow
compound
that is in the form of a crystalline solid, and it is very stable
.
, and can create reproductive defects if inhaled or swallowed. It also is a strong oxidizing agent
if in the presence of H+ to produce the dichromate ion. It may react rapidly, or violently. It is also possible that it may react explosively with other reducing agents and flammable objects.
Chloride
The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine, a halogen, picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. The chloride ion, and its salts such as sodium chloride, are very soluble in water...
ions in a salt solution with silver nitrate
Silver nitrate
Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . This compound is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the halides...
(Ag
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
N
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
O
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
3). It is a class two carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
and can cause cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on inhalation.
Physical properties
Potassium Chromate is a lemonLemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
compound
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
that is in the form of a crystalline solid, and it is very stable
Chemical stability
Chemical stability when used in the technical sense in chemistry, means thermodynamic stability of a chemical system.Thermodynamic stability occurs when a system is in its lowest energy state, or chemical equilibrium with its environment. This may be a dynamic equilibrium, where individual atoms...
.
Reactions
When reacted with lead(II) nitrate, it creates an orange-yellow precipitate, lead(II) chromate. All ions hydrolyze in solution.Occurrence
Tarapacaite is the natural, mineral form of potassium chromate. It occurs very rarely and until now is known from only few localities on Atacama desert.Safety
Potassium chromate is very toxic and may be fatal if swallowed. It may also act as a carcinogenCarcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
, and can create reproductive defects if inhaled or swallowed. It also is a strong oxidizing agent
Oxidizing agent
An oxidizing agent can be defined as a substance that removes electrons from another reactant in a redox chemical reaction...
if in the presence of H+ to produce the dichromate ion. It may react rapidly, or violently. It is also possible that it may react explosively with other reducing agents and flammable objects.