# Which one is which one- dry powders



## dawidmNS (11 May 2011)

Hi guys 

Ive also created another topic before, but this one include something different.
Ive just found dry salts which I got from my friend, he gave me them like 1 year ago.
However there is no name on the boxes in which are:

Potassium Nitrate
Potassium Phosphate

How to see a difference between these two? Any ideas? 

Regards
Dawid


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## Steve Smith (11 May 2011)

It's difficult, as they're white powders!  From using powders in the past, potassium nitrate tends to be a finer powder I think.  Look at the granule size...


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## dawidmNS (11 May 2011)

Hi Steve

Yes one of them is like a powder and the other is like very small sticks.


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## chump54 (11 May 2011)

what about a nitrate or phosphate test kit? 

I would also add that phosphate is a bit more 'powdered glassy' ??? ( I know what I mean!) 
Chris


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## chump54 (11 May 2011)

dawidmNS said:
			
		

> is like very small sticks.



there thats your phosphate... is my guess 

Chris


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## madlan (11 May 2011)

You could make a solution with them and test for nitrates and phosphates?


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## dawidmNS (11 May 2011)

Yes you are right  I also checked some pictures on google on mono potassium phosphate and it looks the same, small sticks and like you said glassy.

About the tests, I havent got any, as UKAPS members gave me advice it is just a waste of money


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## chump54 (11 May 2011)




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## Morgan Freeman (11 May 2011)

Ok say phosphate tastes like.......


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## danmil3s (13 May 2011)

my kno3 is a bit yellow and ive heard that that's the colour its meant to be. also came from a sponsor so im sure they wouldn't send out the wrong gear. my e-bay kno3 was white and i had all sorts of BGA problems.


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## dawidmNS (13 May 2011)

danmil3s said:
			
		

> my kno3 is a bit yellow and ive heard that that's the colour its meant to be. also came from a sponsor so im sure they wouldn't send out the wrong gear. my e-bay kno3 was white and i had all sorts of BGA problems.




Ive got my from a friend from Poland. He has a very huge plantations of tomatoes, so I dont think it is a wrong one as he is using them in huge quantities in everyday.


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## danmil3s (13 May 2011)

probably fine mate just letting you know there's some stuff out there which inst what it seems


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## wearsbunnyslippers (13 May 2011)

take some of the one you think is kno3, about  half a teaspoon, mix a bit of water with it, soak some tissue in it and let the tissue dry, do not dry it out in the oven or microwave!!! 

then make sure you are outside nowhere near anything flammable, roll it into a thin tube and set it on fire, if it burns like a fuse it is definitely kno3, thats how they make touch paper 

we used to make homemade gunpowder when i was younger and used to make long toilet paper touch paper fuses, how i still have all my fingers and both my eyes i do not know...

disclaimer: i am not responsible for any damage caused by anyone doing this!


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## CeeJay (13 May 2011)

Hi all


			
				wearsbunnyslippers said:
			
		

> take some of the one you think is kno3, about half a teaspoon, mix a bit of water with it, soak some tissue in it and let the tissue dry, do not dry it out in the oven or microwave!!!
> 
> then make sure you are outside nowhere near anything flammable, roll it into a thin tube and set it on fire, if it burns like a fuse it is definitely kno3, thats how they make touch paper
> 
> ...


This is exactly the reason ebay do not allow the sale of KNO3 on their site anymore


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## wearsbunnyslippers (17 May 2011)

uk's health and safety strikes again!

what happened to the pioneering spirit that allowed the uk to become an empire spanning the entire globe?

can you imagine any of that happening today??? oh no, you can't sail on that wooden ship you will get a splinter... yes sirs dewar and abel, cordite is a very good idea but were you two just experimenting with flammable explosives in your homes? mr flemming, we don't care in penicillin will revolutionise the medical profession, you cant have all these moldy jars lying around, health and safety first you know... what????

ammonium nitrate is a primary ingredient in ANFO and other fertilizer based explosives. i can still see kno3 for sale on ebay, maybe it is just the uk branch that is not selling, and that could be due to uk's laws and regulations, not ebay itself.. i am sure if it was legal to buy and transport plutonium in your country you would find it on ebay..


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## niru (17 May 2011)

Someone on ebay sells "Empty Bottles Labelled with a KNO3 sticker" because ebay policy doesnt allow them to sell the powder. The price of this "empty" bottle is as high as a filled one though


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## AverageWhiteBloke (17 May 2011)

Yeah I noticed that while ebaying for kno3. You can buy a myriad of potentially dangerous items on there though. I'm sure diesel is also a component in certain home made explosives maybe it's just a matter of time before you need a license to fill your motor up.


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## madlan (19 Sep 2011)

I purchased the KNO3 from eBay, was quite heavy for an empy bottle!


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## Jim (20 Sep 2011)

Mix a small amount of KNO3 with an equal amount of sugar. Take it outside and touch a match to it. If it burns profusely, it is in fact KNO3 and not KH2PO4.

You will now have your powders sorted.


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## gmartins (20 Sep 2011)

KNO3 is supposed to smell a bit like cheese.

cheers,

GM


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## RudeDogg1 (17 Dec 2011)

Jim said:
			
		

> Mix a small amount of KNO3 with an equal amount of sugar. Take it outside and touch a match to it. If it burns profusely, it is in fact KNO3 and not KH2PO4.
> 
> You will now have your powders sorted.



Lol that's how we made smoke bombs in my youth


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## spyder (17 Dec 2011)

RudeDogg1 said:
			
		

> Jim said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Gently melted then poured into a pot noodle container


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## RudeDogg1 (17 Dec 2011)

They r awesome I rem scaring next door by lobbing one in her garden lol


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