Common name for potassium nitrate

As a detective, the first thing I do when solving a mystery is to gather all the relevant clues. In this particular case, I am presented with the crossword clue ‘Common name for potassium nitrate‘. My knowledge of chemistry tells me that potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. The next step is to research the common names for this compound. I know that potassium nitrate is commonly used in fertilizers, gunpowder, and as a food preservative. I also know that it has a distinctive salty taste. The term ‘saltpeter‘ immediately comes to mind since it contains both ‘salt’ and ‘potassium nitrate’ in its name. With this information, I confidently fill in the answer ‘SALTPETER‘ in the crossword. This thought process was based on the knowledge I have gathered over time, along with connecting the dots from the given clues, ultimately leading me to solve the mystery of the crossword clue.