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Some History of Nitrates

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Dennis W. Barnum

Department of Chemistry, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207-0751

J. Chem. Educ., 2003, 80 (12), p 1393

DOI: 10.1021/ed080p1393

Publication Date (Web): December 1, 2003

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

The history of saltpeter is an interesting combination of chemistry, world trade, technology, politics, and warfare. Originally it was obtained from the dirt floors of stables, sheep pens, pigeon houses, caverns, and even peasants' cottages; any place manure and refuse accumulated in soil under dry conditions. When these sources became inadequate to meet demand it was manufactured on saltpeter plantations, located in dry climates, where piles of dirt, limestone, and manure were allowed to stand for three to five years while soil microbes oxidized the nitrogen to nitrate—an example of early bioengineering. Extensive deposits of sodium nitrate were mined in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile from 1830 until the mid 1920s when the mines were displaced by the Haber–Ostwald process.

Keywords (Audience):

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords (Domain):

History / Philosophy

Keywords (Subject):

Consumer Chemistry

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This article has been cited by 1 ACS Journal articles (1 most recent appear below).

The Extraction and Isolation of Saltpeter from Nitered Soil. A Curriculum Alignment Project for a First-Year High School Chemistry Course
Brett Criswell
Journal of Chemical Education2006 83 (2), 241
- The Extraction and Isolation of Saltpeter from Nitered Soil. A Curriculum Alignment Project for a First-Year High School Chemistry Course
  Brett Criswell
  Journal of Chemical Education2006 83 (2), 241
  One of the problems with many published experiments for the high school level is that they appear as isolated entities in the eyes of the students, having a duration of only one or two class periods and usually connecting to just one or two major concepts ...
  Abstract | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links