Potassium is a soft silvery metal though normally grayish white due to oxidation.
It is a liquid under normal conditions. It reacts vigorously with water to form potassium hydroxide, a corrosive material, and hydrogen, a flammable gas. The heat from this reaction may be sufficient to ignite the hydrogen. Potassium alloy may ignite spontaneously in contact with air. Once ignited, potassium burns quite violently. It is used as a heat exchange fluid.