Description

The chemical compound potassium nitrate, a component of saltpetre, potassic nitrate or potassium nitrate is a nitrate whose formula is KNO3.

Currently, most potassium nitrate comes from the vast sodium nitrate deposits in the Chilean deserts. Sodium nitrate is purified and subsequently reacted in a solution with potassium chloride (KCl), in which the less soluble potassium nitrate crystallizes.