saltpeter

Example Sentences

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Tultepec was one of the first places that began to produce gunpowder in Mexico during the colonial period, because of the town’s abundant supply of saltpeter, a key ingredient.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2024

He was perhaps the world’s leading expert on the history of mining for saltpeter, a primary ingredient in gunpowder, which in the 19th century was often harvested from caves.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2022

The addition of steel or cast-iron shavings to the saltpeter made them sparkle.

From Salon • Jul. 13, 2021

The mummified remains of some of these earliest explorers, estimated to be 4,000 to 5,000 years old, drew many tourists to Mammoth Cave in the early 1800s, after commercial saltpeter mining ended there.

From Washington Post • Sep. 26, 2019

By then, the Chinese had observed that a particular mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter, which became known as gunpowder, was especially explosive.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond