nitrite

[ nahy-trahyt ]

/ ˈnaɪ traɪt /

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noun

Chemistry. a salt or ester of nitrous acid.

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Origin of nitrite

First recorded in 1790–1800; nitr- + -ite¹

Words nearby nitrite

nitrifier, nitrify, nitrifying bacteria, nitrile, nitrile rubber, nitrite, nitro, nitrobacteria, nitrobenzene, nitrocellulose, Nitro-chalk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nitrite in a sentence

With the president surrounded by “a fast Hollywood crowd,” someone offered him amyl nitrite, or “poppers.”
Intern's Memoir Details Affair With President Kennedy|Matthew DeLuca|February 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Nitrite of ethyl is best made by passing nitrous acid gas into alcohol.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
Test the peptone water itself for the presence of indol and nitrite by the addition of pure concentrated H2SO4.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
HCl, cooled in ice, and diazotized with sodium nitrite solution, until starch iodide paper showed excess nitrous acid.
Synthesis of 2-methyl-4-selenoquinazolone, 2-phenylbenzoselenazole, and its derivatives|Y-Gwan Chen

If present it is separated with potassium nitrite as described under Cobalt.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
Filter off the yellow precipitate of nitrite of potash and cobalt, and wash with a 10 per cent.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer

British Dictionary definitions for nitrite

nitrite

/ (ˈnaɪtraɪt) /

noun

any salt or ester of nitrous acid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for nitrite

nitrite

[ nī′trīt′ ]

A salt or ester of nitrous acid, containing the group NO2. Nitrites are an important component of the nitrogen cycle and are used as food preservatives. Compare nitrate.