How do you test for saltpetre?

Answer 1

This is a very unprecise method to test for saltpeter (potassium nitrate). But you can tell if it is present in your soil or not. Steps: Build a filter: A. Poke about 70 holes in the bottom of a plastic five gallon pail. B. Put a layer of cloth at the bottom of it, inside it. Lay it flat, covering the entire bottom. C. On top of that goes the finest ash you can find. 2 inches of it should do. D. Then put another layer of cloth on top of the ash. E. Now put the dirt you are testing on top of the the cloth and ash. Keep putting this dirt in until you have filled the pail 5 inches from the top. F. Find an old metal pail, clean it well, and put a grill grate on top of it. G. On top of that, put your filter. With the poked hole side down of course. *The ash can be crushed to make it fine, the cloth should be like that of a t-shirt, and the soil you put in should have not chunks in it. The soil must be relatively fine, with no large amounts of wood or leaves in it. (a few won't hurt though) Now you can filter water through the soil you are testing. It will extract saltpeter into the pail below if the saltpeter is present. You will not be able to see the saltpeter, it will be dissolved in the water. Filtering instructions: Pour a half gallon of water at a time, or 1 liter at a time, gently on top of the dirt. Depending on the soil, it could take the water a long time to soak through. Every 2 minutes, add another unit of water. Do this until you think you have enough to fill the pail below up. Extraction instructions: A. Put the water that has been filtered into a boiling pot. B. Boil it for 2 to 3 hours. C. If, as the water level lowers, it leaves a white residue on the sides of the pot, you have saltpeter in your soil. The white residue is saltpeter. How pure it is though, depends on your filtering process and soil. D. Sometimes another element can cause white residue. So, to be sure you have saltpeter, boil the water to half its original state. E. Add alcohol to return the mixture it to its original level. Anything with a high alcohol content should work. F. After a period of time, you should see little crystals beginning to form; saltpeter. *Testing for the presence of saltpeter (potassium nitrate) is not a productive endeavor, being that saltpeter is virtually everywhere that plant or animal matter is present. It is found more readily in places with more concentrated plant or animal matter. Manure piles, compost piles, a forest floor, or the site of a long deceased animal.