Saltpeter: Difference between revisions
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added some stuff on production methods, and an image of raw niter |
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[[File:Potassium nitrate structure.svg|thumb|2D structure of saltpeter.]] | [[File:Potassium nitrate structure.svg|thumb|2D structure of saltpeter.]] | ||
[[File:Dusičnan draselný.PNG|thumb|Potassium nitrate sample]] | [[File:Dusičnan draselný.PNG|thumb|Potassium nitrate sample]] | ||
[[File:Niter from Tarapaca, Chile.jpg|thumb|a piece of niter collected in Tarapaca, Chile]] | |||
'''Potassium nitrate''', also known as '''saltpeter''', is a [[Chemical compounds|chemical compound]] with the chemical formula KNO<sub>3</sub>. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K<sup>+</sup> and nitrate ions NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate. It is a source of [[nitrogen]] and it occurs in nature as a mineral, niter. | '''Potassium nitrate''', also known as '''saltpeter''', is a [[Chemical compounds|chemical compound]] with the chemical formula KNO<sub>3</sub>. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K<sup>+</sup> and nitrate ions NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate. It is a source of [[nitrogen]] and it occurs in nature as a mineral, niter. | ||
== Production == | |||
=== Mineral Sources === | |||
Saltpeter minerals can be found in collected mineral deposits, and purified into usable saltpeter | |||
Potassium Hydroxide & Ammonium Nitrate | |||
=== Potassium Hydroxide & Nitric Acid === | |||
Potassium hydroxide can be used to neutralize nitric acid, producing aqueous saltpeter in the reaction below. Be sure to perform the reaction slowly, as it is highly exothermic. | |||
KOH + HNO<sub>3</sub> → KNO<sub>3</sub> + H<sub>2</sub>O | |||
== Uses == | == Uses == | ||
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== References == | == References == | ||
{{wa|Potassium_nitrate}} | {{wa|Potassium_nitrate}} | ||
{{wa|Niter}} | |||
[[Category:Chemical compounds]] | [[Category:Chemical compounds]] | ||
[[Category:Stubs]] | [[Category:Stubs]] | ||
Revision as of 02:30, 9 May 2025
Potassium nitrate, also known as saltpeter, 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 is a source of nitrogen and it occurs in nature as a mineral, niter.
Production
Mineral Sources
Saltpeter minerals can be found in collected mineral deposits, and purified into usable saltpeter
Potassium Hydroxide & Ammonium Nitrate
Potassium Hydroxide & Nitric Acid
Potassium hydroxide can be used to neutralize nitric acid, producing aqueous saltpeter in the reaction below. Be sure to perform the reaction slowly, as it is highly exothermic.
KOH + HNO3 → KNO3 + H2O
Uses
Major uses of potassium nitrate are in fertilizers, tree stump removal, rocket propellants and fireworks, and it is one of the major components of gunpowder.
Dependencies
See also
References
| This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Potassium_nitrate, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors). | 
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| This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Niter, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors). |
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