Ingredients --
Potassium nitrate
Chemical Formula: KNO3
Synonyms
Saltpeter
Description
White crystals.
Uses
Potassium nitrate is best known as the oxidizing agent in old fashioned
"black powder" gunpowder, which is 75% potassium nitrate by weight. The
other ingredients are 15% charcoal, and 10%
sulfur.
But potassium nitrate is also used in toothpastes to make teeth less sensitive
to pain. As gums recede and the tooth root dentin becomes exposed to hot or
cold foods, the teeth can become hypersensitive, resulting in pain. Potassium
nitrate interferes with the transmission of pain signals in the nerves of
the teeth, after a few weeks of brushing with a toothpaste containing it.
Potassium nitrate is also found in pills for backache and joint pains.
It also makes a decent plant fertilizer, providing nitrogen and potassium,
but no phosphorus. As an oxidizer, it is used in stump removers, to hasten
the decay of tree stumps.
Potassium nitrate is used as a preservative in some salted meats. As with
nitrites, it helps to preserve the color of the meat.
potassium nitrate:
InChI=1/K.NO3/c;2-1(3)4/q+1;-1
potassium nitrate:
InChI=1/K.NO3/c;2-1(3)4/q+1;-1/i;1+1
By Simon Quellen Field