sort.1posix -u potentials > potentials_nodup
sort, merge, or sequence check text files
-u     Unique: suppress all but one in each set of lines having equal keys.  If used with the -c  option,
       check  that there are no lines with duplicate keys, in addition to checking that the input file is
       sorted.

The following options shall override the default ordering rules. When ordering options appear independent
of any key field specifications, the requested field ordering rules shall be applied globally to all sort
keys. When attached to a specific key (see -k), the specified ordering options shall override all  global
ordering options for that key.
Before a command is executed, its input and output may be redirected using a special notation interpreted
by  the  shell.   Redirection  may  also  be used to open and close files for the current shell execution
environment.  The following redirection operators may precede or appear anywhere within a simple  command
or may follow a command.  Redirections are processed in the order they appear, from left to right.

Redirecting Output
    Redirection of output causes the file whose name results from the expansion of  word  to  be  opened  for
    writing  on  file descriptor n, or the standard output (file descriptor 1) if n is not specified.  If the
    file does not exist it is created; if it does exist it is truncated to zero size.

    The general format for redirecting output is:

           [n]>word

    If the redirection operator is >, and the noclobber option to the  set  builtin  has  been  enabled,  the
    redirection  will  fail if the file whose name results from the expansion of word exists and is a regular
    file.  If the redirection operator is >|, or the redirection operator is > and the  noclobber  option  to
    the  set  builtin  command  is  not  enabled, the redirection is attempted even if the file named by word
    exists.
source manpages: sort