sodium nitrate, chemical compound, NaNO₃, a colorless, odorless crystalline compound that closely resembles potassium nitrate (saltpeter or niter) in appearance and chemical properties. It is soluble in water, alcohol, and liquid ammonia. Sodium nitrate is also called soda niter or Chile saltpeter. It is found naturally in large deposits in arid regions of Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia as caliche, a crude, impure nitrate rock or gravel. Natural deposits are the major source of sodium nitrate; it is also obtained in small amounts as a byproduct of chlorine production by the nitrosyl chloride process, in which sodium chloride (common salt) is reacted with nitric acid. Sodium nitrate is used in making potassium nitrate, fertilizers, and explosives. It was formerly an important raw material for the production of nitric acid.

ni·trate / ˈnītrāt/ • n. Chem. a salt or ester of nitric acid, containing the anion NO₃⁻ or the group –NO₃. ∎  sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or ammonium nitrate, used as fertilizer: the fertilizer is usually a basic nitrate. • v. [tr.] treat (a substance) with nitric acid (typically a concentrated mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids), esp. so as to introduce nitro groups. DERIVATIVES: ni·tra·tion / nīˈtrāshən/ n.

nitrate Salt of nitric acid. Nitrate salts contain the nitrate ion (NO₃⁻) and some are important, naturally occurring compounds such as saltpetre (potassium nitrate, KNO₃) and Chile saltpetre (sodium nitrate, NaNO₃). Nitrates are used as food preservers, fertilizers, explosives, and as a source of nitric acid. They can be an environmental hazard.

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