nitrite

[ nahy-trahyt ]

noun

1. Chemistry. a salt or ester of nitrous acid.
2. Nutrition. sodium nitrite.

nitrite

/ ˈnaɪtraɪt /

noun

1. any salt or ester of nitrous acid

nitrite

/ nī′trīt′ /

1. A salt or ester of nitrous acid, containing the group NO 2 . Nitrites are an important component of the nitrogen cycle and are used as food preservatives.
2. Compare nitrate

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitrite¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; nitr- + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

With the president surrounded by “a fast Hollywood crowd,” someone offered him amyl nitrite, or “poppers.”

From The Daily Beast

Nitrite of ethyl is best made by passing nitrous acid gas into alcohol.

From Project Gutenberg

Test the peptone water itself for the presence of indol and nitrite by the addition of pure concentrated H2SO4.

From Project Gutenberg

HCl, cooled in ice, and diazotized with sodium nitrite solution, until starch iodide paper showed excess nitrous acid.

From Project Gutenberg

If present it is separated with potassium nitrite as described under Cobalt.

From Project Gutenberg

Filter off the yellow precipitate of nitrite of potash and cobalt, and wash with a 10 per cent.

From Project Gutenberg