Salt Peter, also known as potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate, is used in the production of gunpowder, explosives, fertilizers, and food preservation. It is also found in everyday products such as ice cream and toothpaste. Sodium nitrate shares many applications with potassium nitrate and may have health benefits when consumed in green leafy vegetables.
Salt Peter typically refers to the chemical compound potassium nitrate, although it can also refer to sodium nitrate. Stone salt was once harvested from decaying material, but today it is generally made by treating sodium nitrate, mostly mined in Chile, with potassium chloride and collecting the precipitate. Salt Peter was one of the ingredients of the first gunpowder, black powder. Today it has many uses both in the laboratory and in the wider world.
Black powder, oxidized with stone salt, is still used for innovative small explosives, such as fireworks and model rockets, although firearms typically use new types of gunpowder. Stone salt is more widely used in the production of nitric acid, however, which is in turn used to make Trinitrotoluene (TNT) and other modern explosives. Nitric acid also has many other applications, such as its use as a laboratory reagent and as an ingredient in plant fertilizers. Rock salt is also used as a fertilizer and as a stump remover, as it accelerates the decomposition process of tree stumps.
Peter salt is also found in many everyday products. It is used to preserve some foods, most commonly meats, although there are concerns about its health effects. Peter salt is also used in ice cream and toothpaste for sensitive teeth.
There was a widespread urban legend about Peter Salt which claimed it was added to food in all male establishments, including the United States military, as a way to curb libido. It is unlikely that this practice existed, however, as stone salt not only has no such effect, but can also have a number of negative side effects when taken in excess, such as poisoning, reproductive harm and cancer.
Sodium nitrate, also called salt peter, shares many applications with potassium nitrate. Both can be used to produce nitric acid, to power model rockets, and to increase the shelf life of meats and other foods. Sodium nitrate is also used to make glass and enamel. Like potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate may increase the likelihood of developing cancer, but it is also found naturally in green leafy vegetables and may have some health benefits. A small study conducted in Sweden suggested that the nitrates found in vegetables may help lower blood pressure.
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