Nitrite

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Nitrite

The nitrite ion

Ion

An ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained one or more electrons, giving it a positive or negative electrical charge. According to the Bohr_model this will be from or in the outer shield 'n'....
is NO₂^-. The anion is bent, being isoelectronic with O₃

Ozone

Ozone or trioxygen is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic O2....
. More generally, a nitrite compound is either a salt or an ester

Ester

Nitrous acid

Nitrous acid is a weak and monobasic acid known only in solution and in the form of nitrite salts.Nitrous acid is used to make diazo from amines; this occurs by nucleophilic attack of the amine onto the nitrite, reprotonation by the surrounding solvent, and double-elimination of water....
.

See category for a bigger list.

In inorganic chemistry

Inorganic chemistry

Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry....
, nitrites are salt

Salt

A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
s of nitrous acid

Nitrous acid

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Encyclopedia

The nitrite ion

Ion

Ozone

Ester

Nitrous acid

Examples

nitrous acid
Nitrous acid

Nitrous acid is a weak and monobasic acid known only in solution and in the form of nitrite salts.Nitrous acid is used to make diazo from amines; this occurs by nucleophilic attack of the amine onto the nitrite, reprotonation by the surrounding solvent, and double-elimination of water....
, HNO₂
sodium nitrite
Sodium nitrite

Sodium nitrite, with chemical formula SodiumNitrogenOxygen2, is used as a colour retention agent and preservative in meats and fish....
, NaNO₂
alkyl nitrites
Alkyl nitrites

Alkyl nitrites are chemical compounds of structure R-ONO. Formally they are alkyl esters of nitrous acid. They are distinct from nitro compounds ....
, some of which are known as poppers
Poppers

Poppers is the street term for various alkyl nitrites taken for recreational purposes through direct inhalant, particularly amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite, isopropyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite....
.

See category for a bigger list.

In inorganic chemistry

Inorganic chemistry

Salt

Nitrous acid

Ion

Alkali metal

The alkali metals are a chemical series of chemical elements comprising Periodic table group of the periodic table: lithium , sodium , potassium , rubidium , caesium , and francium ....
and alkaline earth metal

Alkaline earth metal

The alkaline earth metals are a chemical series of chemical element comprising Periodic table group of the periodic table: beryllium , magnesium , calcium , strontium , barium and radium ....
s can be synthesized by reacting a mixture of nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide

Nitrogen dioxide

Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the chemical formula NitrogenOxygen2. One of several nitrogen oxides, NO2 is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year....
(NO₂) with a corresponding metal hydroxide

Hydroxide

In chemistry, hydroxide is the name for the Diatomic molecule anion OH-, consisting of oxygen and hydrogen atoms, usually derived from the Dissociation of a base ....
solution, as well as through the thermal decomposition of the corresponding nitrate

Nitrate

In inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid with an ion composed of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms . In organic chemistry the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates....
. Other nitrites are available through the reduction

Redox

Redox describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number changed.This can be either a simple redox process such as the oxidation of carbon to yield carbon dioxide or the reduction of carbon by hydrogen to yield methane , or it can be a complex process such as the oxidation of sugar in the human body through a ser...
of the corresponding nitrate

Nitrate

Sodium nitrite

Sodium nitrite, with chemical formula SodiumNitrogenOxygen2, is used as a colour retention agent and preservative in meats and fish....
is used for the curing

Curing (food preservation)

Curing refers to various food preservation and flavoring processes, especially of meat or fish, by the addition of a combination of edible salt, sugar, nitrates or nitrite....
of meat

Meat

In modern English usage, meat most often refers to animal biological tissue used as food, mostly skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to offal, including livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, in some countries lungs, and a variety of other internal organs as well as blood....
because it prevents bacterial growth and, in a reaction with the meat's myoglobin

Myoglobin

Myoglobin is a Tertiary structure globular protein of 153 amino acids, containing a heme prosthetic group in the center around which the remaining apoprotein folds....
, gives the product a desirable dark red color. Because of the toxicity of nitrite (the lethal dose of nitrite for humans is about 22 mg per kg body weight), the maximum allowed nitrite concentration in meat products is 200 ppm. Under certain conditions, especially during cooking, nitrites in meat can react with degradation products of amino acids, forming nitrosamine

Nitrosamine

Nitrosamines are chemical compounds of the chemical structure R1N-N=O, some of which are cancer....
s, which are known carcinogen

Carcinogen

The term carcinogen refers to any substance, radionuclide or radiation that is an agent directly involved in the promotion of cancer or in the increase of its propagation....
s.

Nitrite is detected and analyzed by the Griess Reaction, involving the formation of a deep red-colored azo dye upon treatment of a NO₂^--containing sample with sulfanilic acid

Sulfanilic acid

Sulfanilic acid is a colourless crystalline solid produced from aromatic sulfonation of aniline.It readily forms diazo compounds and is used to make dyes and Sulfonamide ....
and naphthyl-1-amine in the presence of acid.

Nitrite can be reduced to nitric oxide

Nitric oxide

Nitric oxide or nitrogen monoxide is a chemical compound with chemical formula NitrogenOxygen. This gas is an important signaling molecule in the body of mammals, including humans, and is an extremely important intermediate in the chemical industry....
or ammonia

Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the chemical formula nitrogenhydrogen. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor....
by many species of bacteria

Bacteria

The Bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals....
.

Under hypoxic conditions, nitrite may release nitric oxide, which causes potent vasodilation. Several mechanisms for nitrite conversion to NO have been described including enzymatic reduction by xanthine oxidoreductase, the mitochondria, and NO synthase (NOS), as well as nonenzymatic acidic disproportionation

Disproportionation

Disproportionation or dismutation is used to describe two particular types of chemical reaction:* A chemical reaction of the type: 2A ? A' + A" where A, A' and A" are different chemical species....
.

Organic nitrites

In organic chemistry

Organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is a discipline within chemistry which involves the science study of the structure, properties, composition, chemical reaction, and preparation of chemical compounds that contain carbon....
, nitrites are ester

Ester

An ester is an often Aroma compound organic chemistry or partially organic compound formed by the reaction between an acid and an alcohol or aromatic alcohol with the elimination of water....
s of nitrous acid and contain the nitrosooxy functional group. They possess the general formula RONO, where R is an aryl

Aryl

In the context of organic molecules, aryl refers to any functional group or substituent derived from a simple aromatic ring, may it be phenyl, thiophene, indole, etc ....
or alkyl

Alkyl

An alkyl is a univalent Radical consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms, arranged in a chain. The Alkyls form homologous series with the general formula CnH2n+1....
group. Amyl nitrite

Amyl nitrite

Amyl nitrite is the chemical compound with the chemical formula C5H11ONO. A variety of isomers are known, but they all feature an amyl group attached to the nitrito functional group....
is used in medicine for the treatment of heart diseases.

Nitrites should not be confused with nitrate

Nitrate

Nitric acid

Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosion and toxic strong acid that can cause severe burns....
, or with nitro compound

Nitro compound

Nitro compounds are organic compounds that contain one or more nitro functional groups . They are often highly explosive, especially when the compound contains more than one nitro group....
s, though they share the formula RNO₂. The nitrite anion NO₂^- should not be confused with the nitronium cation NO₂⁺.

A classic named reaction for the synthesis of alkyl nitrites is the Meyer synthesis in which alkyl halides react with metallic nitrite

Nitrite

The nitrite ion is NO2-. The anion is bent, being isoelectronic with ozone. More generally, a nitrite compound is either a Salt or an ester of nitrous acid....
s to a mixture to nitroalkanes and nitrites.

External links

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (public domain)