Saltpeter

Saltpeter or Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−, and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate. It occurs in nature as a mineral, niter (or nitre in the UK). It is a source of nitrogen, and nitrogen was named after niter.

History

Saltpeter was known to the alchemists as nitrum. Its name comes from the Latin sal petrae, "stone salt" or possibly "Salt of Petra". The name "saltpeter" was used as a general term for any nitrate salt. Saltpeter was used for curing meat and was also used in gunpowder. In the 16th century, the German alchemist Georgius Agricola mentioned how saltpeter could be obtained by filtering the solutions of dung through cloth, which would then be left to evaporate in the sun.

Production

Saltpeter can be produced by the reaction of nitric acid with potassium chloride. In the past, saltpeter was collected from compost heaps and outhouses where urine and feces had decomposed into potassium nitrate.

Uses

Saltpeter is used in food preservation, as a component of gunpowder, and in the manufacture of fireworks. It is also used in fertilizers and to treat asthma and arthritis.

Health effects

Exposure to saltpeter can cause eye and skin irritation, coughing, shortness of breath, and, in severe cases, death. It is also a possible cause of hyperactivity in children.

See also

• Gunpowder
• Potassium nitrate
• Niter
• Food preservation
• Fertilizer

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