Potassium acetate, or KAc as it is commonly known, is produced by the reaction of acetic acid with potassium carbonate.

The sources of acetic acid are the same as in the production of CMA.

Potassium carbonate is one of the groups of salts commercially known as potash. Potassium carbonate was originally obtained by running water through wood ashes and boiling the resulting solution in large iron pots. The substance that formed was called potash.

Potassium carbonate is currently produced by one of several processes that use potassium chloride, another salt of the potash family. The compound, potassium acetate, is a white, crystalline, deliquescent powder that has a saline taste. It is soluble in water and alcohol. Solutions are alkaline under a litmus test.

The dry compound is combustible but is used as a dehydrating agent, a reagent in analytical chemistry, and in the production of synthetic flavors, in addition to other uses. The eutectic temperature of a KAc and water solution is -76 degrees Fahrenheit at a concentration of 49 percent.

A commercial form of liquid KAc, containing a 50 percent concentration by weight plus corrosion inhibitors, has been used as a pre-wetting agent with dry salt or as a straight chemical application.