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The two scientists discovered that saltpeter formed inside the walls of the caves of the doline, under certain conditions of humidity and temperature. [9] Prior to the discovery, nitraries were widespread all over the Kingdom of Naples. Manure was collected by the government and used to make saltpeter, which was a key ingredient for gunpowder ...
The nitrates are extracted from soil with water and then purified into saltpeter by adding wood ash. The process was discovered in the early 15th century and was very widely used until the Chilean mineral deposits were found. [26] The Confederate side of the American Civil War had a significant shortage of saltpeter.
The use of Nitratine or Chilean Saltpeter once an important source of nitrates for fertilizer and other chemical uses including gunpowder and fireworks.. The commencement of the export of nitrates to the Europe and the US in the 1830s marked the most important milestone in the history of the nitrate industry and brought consequences for the economies of the three countries sharing the Atacama ...
Instead, German scientists found ways to synthesize nitrate from ammonia, bypassing the need for saltpeter. The loss of the industry combined with the Great Depression had a severe effect on Chile ...
Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works are two former saltpeter refineries located in northern Chile.They were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, as a testament to the historical importance of saltpeter mining in Chile and the culture and social agenda that developed around it in the late 19th century.
Typically the saltpeter would be sent to Lexington, Kentucky to be made into gunpowder. [4]: 93 During the War of 1812, sixty to seventy men were employed to mine the cave of its saltpeter, deemed necessary as British blockades prevented saltpeter shipments from overseas. Many of the workers at the cave were slaves.
Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula Na N O 3.This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Chile saltpeter (large deposits of which were historically mined in Chile) [4] [5] to distinguish it from ordinary saltpeter, potassium nitrate.
Noted also for its saltpeter troughs and vats." (It is now the third-longest known cave in the state, after the Friars Hole Cave System in the same county and the Hellhole System in Pendleton County. [4]) Organ Cave has also been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2005. [5]