potassium nitrate

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a crystalline compound, KNO 3 , produced by nitrification in soil, and used in gunpowders, fertilizers, and preservatives; saltpeter; niter.

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potassium nitrate British  

noun

1. Also called: saltpetre.   nitre.  a colourless or white crystalline compound used in gunpowders, pyrotechnics, fertilizers, and as a preservative for foods, esp as a curing salt for ham, sausages, etc ( E252 ). Formula: KNO 3

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potassium nitrate Scientific  

1. A transparent, white, crystalline compound and strong oxidizing agent. It is used in gunpowder and fireworks, in making glass, and in fertilizer. Also called saltpeter. Chemical formula: KNO ₃ .

2. See also niter

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Etymology

Origin of potassium nitrate

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Black powder, first formulated in China more than a millennium ago, is a mixture of sulphur, carbon and potassium nitrate.

From Washington Times

Then, around 800 B.C., an alchemist allegedly mixed sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate in a search for eternal life— instead, the mixture led to gunpowder.

From Salon

He could tell just from picking up a toothpaste tube whether it contained potassium nitrate.

From Literature

Sometime between 600 and 900 CE, a mix of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal — saltpeter, or rudimentary gunpowder — was poured into bamboo or paper tubes.

From Salon

Homemade smoke bombs are usually made with gunpowder or potassium nitrate, an ingredient in fertilizer.

From New York Times