This section is from the book "The Home Cyclopedia Of General Information", by Charles Morris. Also available from Amazon: Home Cyclopedia of Necessary Knowledge.
[Fr. nitre.] Saltpetre. A white crystalline salt, of a cooling, slightly bitter taste, unalterable in the air, and insoluble in alcohol. It is used in the manufacture of gunpowder, in the production of nitric acid, in medicine, as a fertilizer, and for preserving meat.
 
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