What is saltpeter and what is it used for?
Saltpeter is the common name for both potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate. It is a commercially useful ingredient in fertilizers, propellants, explosives, food preservatives, and toothpaste for sensitive teeth. A concentrated solution of potassium nitrate is useful in landscaping and farming.
What is the substitute for saltpeter?
The Substitutes
- Beet Juice. As I have mentioned earlier, saltpeter is potassium nitrate. ...
- Non-iodized Sea Salt. Non-iodized sea salt does not have nitrates. ...
- Raw Sugar. Raw sugar is another excellent saltpeter substitute. ...
- Celery Powder or Juice. We all know celery. ...
- Curing Salt. Curing salt is an obvious substitute for saltpeter. ...
What does saltpeter do for a male?
Saltpeter is a common term for potassium nitrate. It is used to preserve meat, temper steel, and to make gunpowder and fireworks. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that saltpeter reduces sex drive in men, or that it prevents men from getting erections, which was part of the “colorful terms” my fellow trainee provided in answer to my query.
What does saltpeter taste like?
What does saltpeter taste like? Potassium nitrate is white in colour and soluble in water; it has a vitreous lustre and a cool and salty taste. Where is saltpeter mined? Saltpeter Mining. Potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, is a naturally occurring mineral that is vital to the production of gunpowder.
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Where is saltpeter used?
Nitrates, under their popular name of saltpeter, have been used in meat products, fish and cheese for many centuries. They have been used to prevent blowing of hard cheeses by the action of gas-forming bacteria.
What is the difference between salt and saltpeter?
0:587:14Difference Between Sodium Nitrite, Nitrate & Pink Curing Salt - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd uh one of them was saltpeter and saltpeter is found in just rock outgrowths and saltpeterMoreAnd uh one of them was saltpeter and saltpeter is found in just rock outgrowths and saltpeter contains sodium nitrate. So when they what they found is when they applied sodium nitrate.
Why do we use saltpetre to preserve food?
Salting of meat is an ancient method of preservation based upon the ability of sodium chloride to kill bacteria by drawing out much of their water content. About five hundred years ago, some clever cook noted that the effectiveness of salt in preserving meat depended on its source.
What is another name for saltpeter?
saltpetre, also spelled Saltpeter, also called Nitre, or Niter, any of three naturally occurring nitrates, distinguished as (1) ordinary saltpetre, or potassium nitrate, KNO3; (2) Chile saltpetre, cubic nitre, or sodium nitrate, NaNO3; and (3) lime saltpetre, wall saltpetre, or calcium nitrate, Ca(NO3)2.
Where is saltpeter naturally found?
limestone cavesPotassium nitrate, or saltpeter, is a naturally occurring mineral that is vital to the production of gunpowder. Found in limestone caves in the Arkansas Ozarks, it became one of the state's most important chemical industries during the Civil War due to the Confederacy's demand for arms.
Is saltpetre safe to eat?
What happens if you eat saltpeter? Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) has been used in fertilizer and fireworks. … Potassium nitrate can be dangerous if consumed. It can cause kidney damage or anemia, as well as headaches and digestive distress.
Is saltpeter safe in food?
A Preservative and Curing Agent The U. S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service regulates the use of salt peter, which is toxic at high levels, to “3.5 ounces per 100 pounds of meat for dry cure or 7 pounds per 100 gallons of liquid cure.”
What is saltpeter made from?
Also known as saltpeter, potassium nitrate is a white crystallized compound composed of potassium, nitrogen and oxygen. Most commonly used in fireworks, matches and fertilizer, its medical applications include diuretics to reduce high blood pressure.
Is saltpeter just salt?
Saltpeter is the natural mineral source of the chemical potassium nitrate, KNO3. It is an inorganic chemical that is soluble in water. Depending on where you live, it may be spelled "saltpetre" rather than 'saltpeter'. Before systematic naming of chemicals, saltpeter was called nitrate of potash.
Is saltpeter the same as pink curing salt?
Similar to curing salt, saltpeter draws moisture out of meat. It applies both to the cells of the meat and the cells of any bacteria in the meat, killing the bacteria. In other words, it provides the same preservative benefits as curing salt. You can use it to cure meats that you cook later on.
Does the military still use saltpeter?
The military, meanwhile, remains adamant that no amount of saltpeter comes in contact with any of the food consumed by service members.
Why is it called saltpeter?
saltpeter (n.) 1500, earlier salpetre (early 14c.), from Old French salpetre, from Medieval Latin sal petrae "salt of rock," from Latin sal "salt" (from PIE root *sal- "salt") + petra "rock, stone" (see petrous). So called because it looks like salt encrusted on rock and has a saline taste.
What is saltpeter used for?
Saltpeter, also known as nitrate of potash and potassium nitrate, is used for a wide range of applications in gardening. It contains potassium and nitrogen. Saltpeter, which has the chemical symbol KNO3, can be used to quicken germination of certain seeds, as a fertilizer, to encourage plants to flower and fruit, and to remove tree stumps.
How to use saltpeter?
Saltpeter can be used as a fertilizer to increase the nutritional intake of a plant. It can be applied directly to the soil as a fertilizer, or it can be used as a spray. As a spray, it is applied directly to plant foliage. The amount required and the application frequency varies with the type of plant. Foliar application — rather than application to soil — is useful when plant roots are damaged, when the soil is too wet and when the plant requires more nutrition than it can take in through its root system alone.
How to use saltpeter to decompose stumps?
If you want to use the saltpeter method that quickens the stump's decomposition, then add water to the saltpeter in the holes, and let the saltpeter-water solution remain in the holes. If you want to use the faster method, light the dry saltpeter in the holes on fire.
Why is saltpeter used for seeds?
Saltpeter speeds a seed's germination because it simulates the digestive process, breaking down the seed's hard outer coating and allowing the inner portion to absorb water, nutrients and light better.
Does saltpeter help plants grow?
The nitrogen and potassium in saltpeter cause plants to blossom and set fruit more quickly than they would otherwise. The potassium encourages a plant's early growth, improves its water use efficiency, boosts its ability to tolerate diseases and increases its protein production.
Who is the author of Saltpeter?
Uses of Saltpeter. By Benjamin Shorter. ABOUT THE AUTHOR. Benjamin Shorter. Benjamin Shorter has been a writer for publications such as the "New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal," "National Post" and the "Edmonton Journal" since 2001. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from McGill University, a Master of Arts in history from Central European ...
Can saltpeter burn a stump?
That method causes the saltpeter to burn through the roots, destroying the stump's above- and below-ground portions. When using saltpeter to burn a stump, ensure all other flammable materials are well away from the area, and have water or a fire extinguisher ready for use in case it is needed to put out the fire.
What is salting meat?
Salting of meat is an ancient method of preservation based upon the ability of sodium chloride to kill bacteria by drawing out much of their water content. About five hundred years ago, some clever cook noted that the effectiveness of salt in preserving meat depended on its source.
How to reduce nitrosamine in meat?
Curbing nitrosamine formation in cured meats turned out to be more of a challenge. But it was met. Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), or its close relative, erythorbic acid, can be added by manufacturers to curb the reaction of nitric oxide with amines. These compounds also enhance the preservative effects of nitrite by promoting its conversion to nitric oxide, allowing for less nitrite to be used. In recent years the nitrite levels in foods have been continuously reduced to the point where most products now contain less than 100 parts per million, and result in minimal nitrosamine formation within the food.
Does saltpetre affect carnal urges?
The second part of the question is easy to answer. “Saltpetre,” (the term refers either to potassium or sodium nitrate) has no effect on carnal urges.
What is saltpeter?
Saltpeter is a component of condensed aerosol fire suppression systems, salt bridges in electrochemistry, heat treatment of metals, and for thermal storage in power generators.
What is saltpetre called?
Depending on where you live, it may be spelled "saltpetre" rather than 'saltpeter'. Before systematic naming of chemicals, saltpeter was called nitrate of potash. It has also been called 'Chinese salt' or 'Chinese snow'. In addition to KNO 3, the compounds sodium nitrate (NaNO 3 ), calcium nitrate (Ca (NO 3) 2 ), ...
What is potassium nitrate used for?
It is one of the principal ingredients in gunpowder. Potassium nitrate is used to treat asthma and in topical formulations for sensitive teeth. It was once a popular medication for lowering blood pressure.
Is saltpeter a nitrate?
Saltpeter and other nitrates have a long history of medical use, but it is toxic in high doses and can produce symptoms ranging from a mild headache and upset stomach to kidney damage and dangerously altered pressure. Sources: LeConte, Joseph (1862). Instructions for the Manufacture of Saltpeter.
Is saltpeter a solid?
Pure saltpeter or potass ium nitrate is a white crystalline solid, usually encountered as a powder. Most potassium nitrate is produced using a chemical reaction of nitric acid and potassium salts, but bat guano was an important historical natural source.
Ordinary saltpetre
Potassium nitrate occurs as crusts on the surface of the Earth, on walls and rocks, and in caves; and it forms in certain soils in Spain, Italy, Egypt, Iran, and India. The deposits in the great limestone caves of Kentucky, Virginia, and Indiana have probably been derived from the overlying soil and accumulated by percolating water.
Lime saltpetre
Lime saltpetre. Calcium nitrate was once common as an efflorescence on the walls of stables; it is now manufactured from atmospheric nitrogen. Its chief applications are as a manure and in the nitric acid industry.
What is saltpeter used for?
It contains Potassium, Nitrogen and Oxygen. It naturally occurs in the mountain caves, particularly on the soil high in organic matter. Best used in the treatment of Urinary Problems, Kidney Stones and Indigestion.
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Where did saltpeter come from?
Large saltpeter industries sprang to the south in India and to the South East in western China. In India, a large saltpeter industry developed in the north on the border with Nepal – in the state of Bihar, in particular, around the capital, Patna; in West Bengal and in Uttar Pradesh (Salkind, N. J. (edit), 2006: 519).
Who said saltpeter is a mythical substance?
Peter Whitehorney , the Elizabethan theorist who wrote in 1500’s, said about saltpeter, “I cannot tell how to be resolved, to say what thing properly it is except it seemeth it hath the sovereignty and quality of every element”. Paracelsus, the founder of toxicology who lived in the late 1400’s and early 1500’s said that “saltpeter is a mythical as well as chemical substance with occult, as well as material connections.” The people of his day saw “a vital generative principle in saltpetre, ‘a notable mystery the which, albeit it be taken from the earth, yet it may lift up our eyes to heaven’” (Cressy, David, 2013: 12)
What was the first scientific paper on the subject of meat curing?
Three years following the conference (1891), Dr. Polenske published findings on a remarkable discovery that the niter commonly used in meat curing in the form of saltpeter changes into nitrite (4). This was probably the first scientific paper by any scholar on the subject of meat curing where nitrite and meat curing was linked.
How long does it take for nitrite brine to cure?
This sped up curing from 21 days to curing in 24 hours. On farms, long curing is less of a problem, but for a commercial curing operation, it means that you keep large stocks of bacon that are in the process of curing.
What was the curing agent used for bacon?
The curing agent was saltpeter. A typical curing mix used during the late 1800’s to the middle of the 1900’s for dry cured bacon was a mix of 10 pounds salt, 3 pounds of brown sugar, 6 ounces of black pepper and 3 ounces of saltpeter.
What preservatives are in meat?
Polenske made an examination of 10 different “commercial preservatives intended for meat.” “Three of the 10 contained sulphurous acid or sulphites; two contained borax, and five boric acid; one each contained alum, arsenious oxide, salycylicacid and free phosphoric acid; two contained glycerine, and two boroglycerine; three contained niter, and six common salt.” (The Wichita Daily Eagle, 1890) The niter is saltpeter.
How long was brine sealed?
The containers were sealed for 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months respectively before they were opened and the content analysed. The nutritional value was determined by measuring the nitrogen (stickstoffsubstanz) and the phosphoric acid (Phosphorssaeure) components. The brine was a mixture of salt, saltpeter and sugar. (Polenske, E. 1891)
Where does saltpetre come from?
Saltpetre comes from sal petre, which means “salt of the rock.”. This refers to how potassium nitrate (and other salts) are found in nature, being part of the rock of the earth. Potassium nitrate is usually found mixed with sodium and magnesium salts.
Why do military camps sneak saltpeter into water?
It turns out, as I found later, that there has been a longstanding belief that the military, prisons, ships, or even colleges and summer camps sneak saltpeter into food or water in an effort to decrease the male libido. Basically, anywhere men are separated from women, the organizations do not want them to be distracted, or to become restless and thus misbehave because they are overwhelmed by sexual desire.
Is saltpeter in MRE?
This myth has been extended, in modern times, to include the claim that MRE’s (Meal’s Ready to Eat) are laced with saltpeter as well. Of course, this is not true at all. Before the advent of the MRE, which are low-moisture or dehydrated foods sealed in vacuum-packed plastic pouches, soldiers belied their C-rations were spiked with saltpeter.
Is saltpeter accurate in MASH?
This was set during the Korean war and I suspect that yes, it is an accurate portrayal and the belief was present in the military at that time.
Does Saltpeter Reduce Sex Drive?
Saltpeter is a common term for potassium nitrate. It is used to preserve meat, temper steel, and to make gunpowder and fireworks. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that saltpeter reduces sex drive in men, or that it prevents men from getting erections, which was part of the “colorful terms” my fellow trainee provided in answer to my query. Just replace the word salt with soft and you will understand what I mean. As female readers may imagine, however, the idea that something is being administered to us which will mess up our erections, well, that is a great source of anxiety. The belief, or even the hint, that our food or water is laced with such a substance may well help along with the very symptom the substance is said to cause!
What was the solution used to make saltpetre?
A solution of water and calcium nitrate would then be pumped to the surface where it was combined with materials such as wood ash, and sometimes even ox blood, to create the saltpetre. Saltpetre mining was not easy work, and not many people were willing to work in the cave in the mine.
What is saltpetre mining?
Saltpetre Mining in Mammoth Cave. Thousands of years of occupation by bats who deposited guano in the soil of Mammoth Cave and other area caves made the cave dirt rich with a compound called calcium nitrate.
How old is the saltpetre cave?
The owners of the cave left behind the large vats and the wooden pipes they used to move water. Now, these artifacts are over 200 years old, preserved by the environment of the cave.
Where was the saltpeter vat in 1941?
A group of soldiers examine the saltpeter vats on a cave tour at Booth Amphitheater, 1941. With the end of saltpetre mining came a new opportunity. Mammoth Cave now had a reputation as being an underground marvel, and people wanted to travel to Kentucky to see it.
What was the most profitable thing to mine in the early 1800s?
Mining saltpetre from the cave was extremely profitable in the early 1800’s, and became even more so with the start of the War of 1812. Demand for gunpowder was at an all-time high during the war, as the importation of gunpowder had become very difficult due to the British blockade of many eastern sea ports.
Sources of Saltpeter
Uses of Saltpeter
- Saltpeter is a common food preservative and additive, fertilizer, and oxidizer for fireworks and rockets. It is one of the principal ingredients in gunpowder. Potassium nitrate is used to treat asthma and in topical formulations for sensitive teeth. It was once a popular medication for lowering blood pressure. Saltpeter is a component of condensed ...
Saltpeter and Male Libido
- It's a popular myth that saltpeter inhibits male libido. Rumors abound that saltpeter has been added to food in prison and military installations to curb sexual desire, but there is no evidence to support this has been done or would even work. Saltpeter and other nitrates have a long history of medical use, but it is toxic in high doses and can produce symptoms ranging from a mild heada…
History
- Humans have been using saltpeter for thousands of years. One of the first written records mentioning it comes from an ancient Indian Sanskrit text (compiled between 300BC and 300AD) that mentions using its toxic smoke in warfare. In 1270, Syrian chemist Hasan al-Rammah described a purification process for obtaining purified potassium nitrate from saltpeter. First, th…
Sources
- Helmenstine, A.M. (2016). Where to Get Potassium Nitrate or Saltpeter. Science Notes. LeConte, Joseph (1862). Instructions for the Manufacture of Saltpeter. Columbia, S.C.: South Carolina Military Department. p. 14. Retrieved 4/9/2013. UK Food Standards Agency: "Current EU approved additives and their E Numbers". Retrieved 3/9/2012. US Food and Drug Administration: "Food Ad…