- Registry number
- CHEM-001
- Preferred designation
- Potassium nitrate
- Common names
- Nitre · saltpetre
- Chemical formula
- KNO₃
- CAS registry
- 7757-79-1
- PubChem CID
- 24434
- Formula mass
- 101.103 g/mol
- Class
- Nitrate salt / oxidizer
Description & appearance
White to pale gray crystals; water-soluble.
Occurrence & historical provenance
Occurs in naturally formed nitrate deposits and mineral assemblages. Historical names include nitre, niter, and saltpetre. Composition, purity, and origin are separate questions: a historical label is not an assay.
Established uses
Fertilizer chemistry, certain specialized glass and metalworking processes, food-preservation history, and desensitizing toothpaste formulations. Also historically associated with pyrotechnic and propellant chemistry.
Hazards & handling context
Noncombustible on its own but a strong oxidizer that intensifies combustion. Keep its chemical identity and oxidizing hazard separate from assumptions about any specific material sample.
Important distinctions
The spelling 'saltpetre' can occur in older documents; similar historical names sometimes refer to different nitrate salts. Confirm the CAS number and chemical formula.
Source ledger
The following reference records were consulted for chemical identity and general descriptive claims. Industrial grades, formulations, and mixtures may have different hazard profiles.
Catalogued 2026-11-11 · PyreArms 0.2.0. This is an authored reference entry, not a certificate of laboratory analysis.