niter

ni·ter

N0115200 (nī′tər)n. See potassium nitrate.

[Middle English nitre, sodium carbonate, natron, from Old French, from Latin nitrum, from Greek nitron, from Egyptian nṯr.]

niter

(ˈnaɪtə) n (Elements & Compounds) the usual US spelling of nitre

potas′sium ni′trate

n. a crystalline compound, KNO₃, produced by nitrification in soil, and used in gunpowders, fertilizers, and preservatives; saltpeter; niter. [1880–85]

ni·ter

(nī′tər) A naturally occurring mineral form of potassium nitrate, used to make gunpowder.

Thesaurus

Noun

niter - (KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosivenitre, potassium nitrate, saltpeter, saltpetrefertiliser, fertilizer, plant food - any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertilenitrate - any compound containing the nitrate group (such as a salt or ester of nitric acid)

niter

nitre:

see potassium nitratepotassium nitrate,
chemical compound, KNO₃, occurring as colorless, prismatic crystals or as a white powder; it is found pure in nature as the mineral saltpeter, or niter. (The name saltpeter is also applied to sodium nitrate, although less frequently.
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Niter

any of-the nitrates (nitric acid salts) of alkali and earth metals and ammonium. In nature, niters are formed during the decomposition of various organic radicals upon the action of nitrifying bacteria. From the mid-14th century, the term “saltpeter” was applied to potassium nitrate (KNO₃)—the main constituent of black gunpowder.

KNO₃ was obtained from niter piles—agglomerates of manure mixed with limestone, marl, and building debris that were placed between layers of brushwood or hay. Decomposition of this mixture yielded ammonia, which, during nitrification (aided by bacteria), was converted first to nitrous and then to nitric acid. Interaction of the nitric acid with CaCo₃ gave Ca(NO₃)₂, which was then leached with water. The addition of wood ash, composed mainly of K₂CO₃, induced the precipitation of CaCO₃ and the formation of a KNO₃ solution. This method was used until 1854, when the German chemist C. Nöllner began producing KNO₃ with the reaction KCl + NaNo₃ = KNO₃ + NaCl in solution. The raw materials here were natural Chile saltpeter (NaNO₃) and KC1, which was obtained from natural potassium salts. This method has gradually replaced the previous one. Niters are primarily used as nitrogenous fertilizers.

S. A. POGODIN

niter

[′nīd·ər] (inorganic chemistry) potassium nitrate

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ni·ter

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potas′sium ni′trate

ni·ter

niter

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nitre:

Niter

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Synonyms for niter

noun (KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive

Synonyms

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