What is "sodium nitrate"

n. (context chemistry English) the sodium salt of nitric acid, NaNO₃; used as a food preservative, and as an oxidizing agent in explosives etc.

n. (NaNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive [syn: soda niter]

Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula Na N O. This salt is also known as Chile saltpeter or Peru saltpeter (due to the large deposits found in the Atacama desert in these countries) to distinguish it from ordinary saltpeter, potassium nitrate. The mineral form is also known as nitratine, nitratite or soda niter.

Sodium nitrate is a white solid very soluble in water. It is a readily available source of the nitrate anion (NO), which is useful in several reactions carried out on industrial scales for the production of fertilizers, pyrotechnics and smoke bombs, glass and pottery enamels, food preservatives (esp. meats), and solid rocket propellant. It has been mined extensively for these purposes.