Description

Potassium hydroxide (also known as caustic potash) is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula KOH. Both it and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) are commonly used strong bases. It has many industrial and commercial uses. Most applications exploit its reactivity with acids and its natural corrosiveness. Production of potassium hydroxide is estimated at 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes in 2005 (about one hundred times more NaOH is produced).
KOH is especially significant for being the precursor of most soft and liquid soaps, as well as being present in numerous chemical compounds containing potassium.
The saponification of fats with KOH is used to prepare the corresponding “potassium soaps”, which are softer than soaps derived from sodium hydroxide. Due to their softness and greater solubility, potassium soaps require less water to liquefy, and can therefore contain a greater amount of cleaning agent than liquefied soaps based on sodium