Question

A chemist passed an electric current through a molten potassium hydroxide and isolated a bright, shiny reactive substance. He claimed the discovery of a new element, which he named potassium. Before the advent of modern day instruments, what is the basis on which one could claim the substance is an element?

Answer 1

Answer:

In 1807 the English chemist Humphrey Davy passed an electric current through molten potassium hydroxide and isolated a bright, shiny reactive substance. He claimed the discovery of a new element, which he names potassium.