kasel

Potassium nitrate

KASEL Chemicals

Synonyms: Nitre, Nitric Acid Potassium Salt, Saltpeter, Vicknite, Kalii Nitras, Kaliumnitrat (German)

The chemical compound potassium nitrate is a naturally occurring mineral source of nitrogen. It is a nitrate with chemical formula KNO3. When it burns, it burns a bright pink to purple color. Potassium nitrate is the oxidizing (oxygen-supplying) component of black powder. Prior to the large-scale industrial fixation of nitrogen through the Haber process, a major source of Potassium nitrate was the deposits crystallizing from cave walls or the drainings of decomposing organic material. Dung-heaps were a particularly common source: ammonia from the decomposition of urea and other nitrogenous materials would undergo bacterial oxidation to produce nitrate. It was and is also used as a component in some fertilizers.Potassium nitrate is colourless crystal or white powder, easily soluble in water, not deliquesce in the air. As a strong oxidizer, it will burn and explode when mixing with organics.

 General information

Chemical formula: KNO3 Rel. mol. weight: 101.1 CAS No.: 7757-79-1 EINECS No.: 231-818-8 UN No.: 1486

Density (16 °C): 2,109 g/cm³ Melting point: 334 °C Boiling point 400 °C (decomposes) Solubility in water (20 °C): 320 g/l Bulk density: ~800 kg/m³

Applications
One of the most useful applications of potassium nitrate is in the production of nitric acid, by adding concentrated sulfuric acid to an aqueoussolution of potassium nitrate, yielding nitric acid and potassium sulfate which are separated through fractional distillation.
Potassium nitrate is also used as a fertilizer, as a model rocket propellant, and in several fireworks such as smoke bombs, in which a mixture with sugar produces a smoke cloud of 600 times their own volume. In the process of food preservation, potassium nitrate is a common ingredient of salted meat. Potassium Nitrate is also a main component in stump remover.
It has also been used in the manufacture of ice cream and is the active ingredient in toothpaste for sensitive gums.

Storage terms
Store separated from combustible and reducing substances.

Specification
(Here you can download Specification as PDF-Files.)

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