ethyl nitrite

American

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless or yellowish, very volatile, highly aromatic, flammable liquid, C 2 H 2 NO 2 , used chiefly in the preparation of organic substances.

Etymology

Origin of ethyl nitrite

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is obtained by the distillation of alcohol with nitric and sulphuric acids, and consists essentially of ethyl nitrite with a little acetic aldehyde.

From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Section S by Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023