Also known as saltpeter, niter is the natural mineral for potassium nitrate. The explosive power of fireworks comes in large part from this oxidizer. Mixing potassium nitrate with sulfur and carbon creates the highly ignitable substance called black powder, which propels the firework into the sky.
The vast majority of the minerals that make up the rocks of Earth's crust are silicate minerals. These include minerals such as quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, pyroxene, olivine, and a great variety of clay minerals. The building block of all of these minerals is the silica tetrahedron, a combination of four oxygen atoms and one silicon atom.
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