Is potassium a vitamin or mineral?

Answer 1

Potassium is found on the Periodic Table of the elements as "K". In its elemental pure form it can be called a mineral. Elemental potassium is explosive and highly reactive with water, oxygen or halogens. Potassium can exist in bananas without exploding because the potassium is within a compound (combined with other atoms/molecules). For example potassium chloride (KCl) can be used as a replacement for table salt. The human digestion process breaks apart the KCl and combines it into other compounds so systems in the body can extract the Elemental potassium.

Vitamins are compounds, many vitamins contain the mineral potassium in them.