Saltpeter: The strategic chemical product in the past of Brazil

Abstract

Saltpeter demanded for a long-time strategic attention in view of its importance in the form of gunpowder by the governments of many nations. The sources of this mineral in Brazil were almost always associated to the soil in caves, which was extracted because of a limited amount of that precious salt. The first references pointed out that saltpeter was first discovered in the São Francisco basin in regions of the south of the Captaincy of Bahia and in the north of Minas Gerais. Some historical documents show that the Serra do Baldim was the object of intensive mining activities of saltpeter from its caves and the product became the focus of conflicts and left scars on the walls of some limestone caverns.