Question

A salt used in the manufacture of gunpowder is Chile saltpetre.
A)True
B)False

Answer 1

Hint: To answer this question, you know about the chemistry of gun powder. In earlier times the demand for saltpetre as an ingredient of gunpowder led to the formation of saltpetre plantations, or nitriaries.

Complete Step by step solution:
We know that chile saltpetre is a salt having formula \[NaN{O_3}.\] . It is used for making fertilizers, explosives, gunpowder, glass, etc. Sodium nitrate is a white crystalline solid. It is noncombustible but accelerates the burning of combustible materials. If its large quantities are involved in a fire or the combustible material is finely divided, it may result in an explosion. It can also explode under prolonged exposure to heat or fire. Its fire results in the release of toxic oxides of nitrogen. It is also used in solid propellants, explosives, fertilizers, and for many other uses. Hence, the given statement is true
Therefore, we can conclude that the correct answer to this question is option A.

Note: The precise reactions of gunpowder are difficult to elucidate. The combustion of gunpowder is not a simple single reaction, rather consists of many different complex reactions. It’s possible, however, to provide a simplified equation that provides an overall idea of the products of the various reactions.
$10{\text{KN}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{3}}} + 8{\text{C + 3S}} \to {\text{2}}{{\text{K}}_{\text{2}}}{\text{C}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{3}}} + 3{{\text{K}}_{\text{2}}}{\text{S}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{4}}} + 6{\text{C}}{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}}} + 5{{\text{N}}_{\text{2}}}$.
 A mixture of solid and gaseous products are produced by the reactions, along with a very small amount of water.