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Other Names for Potassium Nitrate

Potassium nitrate is a naturally occurring nitrate mineral with the chemical formula: KNO3. Historically produced either by gathering the crystallized deposits on cave walls or by being made in specially laid urine-soaked manure beds, it is now manufactured industrially. The common uses of this chemical are as one of the components of gunpowder, fertilizer, meat preservation, and in the production of nitric acid.

Salt of Petra
- This Medieval name for the substance known to us as potassium nitrate may derive from the Latin "sal petrae," meaning "stone salt." Alternatively, it may refer to "sal Petrae," or "salt of Petra."
Saltpeter
- "Saltpeter" is the Americanized English version of saltpetre. "Chile saltpeter" refers to sodium nitrate, another common ingredient in explosives and fertilizer.
Nitrate of Potash or Nitre
- These are alternative archaic names for potassium nitrate, the term "potash" deriving from the Dutch "potasch." This refers to the process of obtaining potassium compounds by leaching wood ashes (potash).

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