nitrosamine

[ nahy-troh-suh-meen, nahy-trohs-am-in ]

/ naɪˈtroʊ səˌmin, ˌnaɪ troʊsˈæm ɪn /

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noun Chemistry.

any of a series of compounds with the type formula R2NNO, some of which are carcinogenic, formed in cured meats by the conversion of nitrite.

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Origin of nitrosamine

1875–80; nitros- + amine

Words nearby nitrosamine

nitrometer, nitromethane, nitroparaffin, nitrophenol, nitrophilous, nitrosamine, nitroso, nitrosobenzene, nitroso group, nitrosourea, nitrostarch

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British Dictionary definitions for nitrosamine

nitrosamine

/ (ˌnaɪtrəʊsəˈmiːn, ˌnaɪtrəʊsˈæmiːn) /

noun

any one of a class of neutral, usually yellow oily compounds containing the divalent group =NNO

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 nitrosamine

nitrosamine

[ nī-trō′sə-mēn′, nī′trōs-ăm′ēn ]

Any of a class of organic compounds with the general formula R2NNO or RNHNO, where R is an organic radical. Nitrosamines are present in various foods and other products, and certain ones are very carcinogenic.