saltpeter

基本解释

From saltpeter mines in Chile.
從智利的硝石鑛裡。
Well, the British didn't let Chile sell saltpeter to Germany.
英國不允許,智利把硝石賣給德國。
Winthrop often treated kids with his top secret cure-all "rubila, " later revealed by Oliver Wendell Holmes to be a mix of antimony and saltpeter, a precursor to the explosive potassium nitrate.
溫斯洛浦經常給孩子們開他的頂級秘方——包治百病的“rubila”。後來，奧利彿·文戴爾·赫爾姆斯發現就是銻和硝石的混郃物，也就是易爆物硝酸鉀的前身。

Gunpowder may date back as far as the 4th century, when it was invented in China--perhaps by someone trying to mix sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter into medicine.
FORBES: Magazine Article