potassium bromide

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble powder, KBr, having a bitter saline taste: used chiefly in the manufacture of photographic papers and plates, in engraving, and in medicine as a sedative.

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potassium bromide British  

noun

1. a white crystalline soluble substance with a bitter saline taste used in making photographic papers and plates and in medicine as a sedative. Formula: KBr

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Etymology

Origin of potassium bromide

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Some bromide salts, notably potassium bromide, were found to be natural sedatives, and were prescribed in the 19th Century as a remedy for epilepsy.

From BBC • Sep. 26, 2014

Notes Toward the end of the reaction, a crust of potassium bromide may tend to cover the melted potassium hydroxide.

From Organic Syntheses by Conant, James Bryant

Bromine is soluble in water, to the extent of 3.226 grammes of bromine per 100 grammes of solution at 15� C., the solubility being slightly increased by the presence of potassium bromide.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

By the addition of potassium bromide and bromine water to diazonium salts they are converted into a perbromide, e.g.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4 "Diameter" to "Dinarchus" by Various

When bromine is added to a hot concentrated solution of potassium hydroxide there is formed a mixture of potassium bromide and potassium bromate in accordance with the reactions already discussed.

From An Elementary Study of Chemistry by McPherson, William