1. Potassium hydride, KH, is the inorganic compound of potassium and hydrogen. It is an alkali metal hydride. It is a white solid, although commercial samples appear gray. It is a powerful superbase that is useful in organic synthesis. It is sold commercially as a slurry (~35%) in mineral oil or sometimes paraffin wax to facilitate dispensing. == Preparation == Potassium hydride is produced by direct combination of the metal and hydrogen at temperatures between 200 and 350 °C: 2 K + H2 → 2 KH This reaction was discovered by Humphry Davy soon after his 1807 discovery of potassium, when he noted that the metal would vaporize in a current of hydrogen when heated just below its boiling point. Potassium hydride is soluble in fused hydroxides (such as molten sodium hydroxide) and salt mixtures, but not in organic solvents. == Reactions == KH reacts with water according to the reaction: KH + H2O → KOH + H2 As a superbase, potassium hydride is more basic than sodium hydride. It is used to deprotonate... from wikipedia.org