Saltpeter
Encyclopedia
Saltpeter or saltpetre often refers to:
It may also refer to:
- Potassium nitratePotassium nitratePotassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
, or the mineral niterNiterNiter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter or saltpetre . Historically, the term "niter" – cognate with "natrium", a Latin word for sodium – has been very vaguely defined, and it has been applied to a variety of other minerals and chemical compounds,...
, the critical oxidizing component of gunpowderGunpowderGunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
, and a food preservative.
It may also refer to:
- Sodium nitrateSodium nitrateSodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula NaNO3. This salt, also known as Chile saltpeter or Peru saltpeter to distinguish it from ordinary saltpeter, potassium nitrate, is a white solid which is very soluble in water...
or the mineral NitratineNitratineNitratine or nitratite, also known as cubic niter , soda niter or Chile saltpeter , is a mineral, the naturally occurring form of sodium nitrate, NaNO3. Nitratine crystallizes in the trigonal system, but rarely occurs as well formed crystals. It is isostructural with calcite...
("Peru saltpeter" or "Chile saltpeter"), a component of fertilizers, explosives and solid rocket propellants; also a food preservative - Calcium nitrateCalcium nitrateCalcium nitrate, also called Norgessalpeter , is the inorganic compound with the formula Ca2. This colourless salt absorbs moisture from the air and is commonly found as a tetrahydrate. It is mainly used as a component in fertilizers but is found other applications...
or Nitromagnesite ("Norway salpeter", "Norges salpeter" or "nitrate of lime") a compound produced in Norway by the Birkeland–Eyde process early 20th century. - Magnesium nitrateMagnesium nitrateMagnesium nitrate is a hygroscopic salt with the formula Mg2. In air, it quickly forms the hexahydrate with the formula Mg2·6H2O . It is very soluble in both water and ethanol.-Uses:...
- The Saltpeter War or War of the PacificWar of the PacificThe War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
(1879–84) between Chile, Peru and Bolivia. - A saltpetreman, a person who dug saltpeter up, found it or made it for a living.