Sodium Nitrate - Chile saltpeter - Natrum nitricum

NaNO₃ 

Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula NaNO3. This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Chile saltpeter (large deposits of which were historically mined in Chile) 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 deliquescent solid very soluble in water. It is a readily available source of the nitrate anion (NO3−), which is useful in several reactions carried out on industrial scales for the production of fertilizers, pyrotechnics, smoke bombs and other explosives, glass and pottery enamels, food preservatives (esp. meats), and solid rocket propellant. It has been mined extensively for these purposes.

More about Boric acid can be found on Wikipedia

Uses

Most sodium nitrate is used in fertilizers, where it supplies a water soluble form of nitrogen. Its use, which is mainly outside of the Western World, is attractive since it does not alter the pH of the soil. Another major use is as a complement to ammonium nitrate in explosives. Molten sodium nitrate and its solutions with potassium nitrate have good thermal stability (up to 600 °C) and high heat capacities. These properties are suitable for thermally annealing metals and for storing thermal energy in solar applications.

Food

Sodium nitrate is also a food additive used as a preservative and color fixative in cured meats and poultry; it is listed under its INS number 251 or E number E251. It is approved for use in the EU, US and Australia and New Zealand. Sodium nitrate should not be confused with sodium nitrite, which is also a common food additive and preservative used, for example, in deli meats.

Thermal storage

Sodium nitrate has also been investigated as a phase-change material for thermal energy recovery, owing to its relatively high melting enthalpy of 178 J/g. Examples of the applications of sodium nitrate used for thermal energy storage include solar thermal power technologies and direct steam generating parabolic troughs.

Steel coating

Sodium nitrate is used in a steel coating process in which it forms a surface magnetite layer.

Formula: NaNO₃
Molecular Weight: 84.9947 g/mol
Form: White powder or colorless crystals, odor - sweet
CAS Number: 7631-99-4
Density: 2.257 g/cm³
Synonyms: Peru saltpeter, Soda niter, cubic niter, Chile saltpeter, Nitrate of soda, Sodium saltpeter, Natrum nitricum