sodium nitrite
Americannoun
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Chemistry. a yellowish or white crystalline compound, NaNO 2 , soluble in water, slightly soluble in alcohol and ether: used in the manufacture of dyes and as a color fixative.
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Nutrition. this compound added to food as a preservative and for flavor and color, especially in pork, fish, and beef products: implicated in the formation of suspected carcinogens.
Etymology
Origin of sodium nitrite
First recorded in 1900–05
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.
The analysis focused on 17 individual preservatives, including citric acid, lecithins, total sulfites, ascorbic acid, sodium nitrite, potassium sorbate, sodium erythorbate, sodium ascorbate, potassium metabisulfite, and potassium nitrate.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026
Westminster Coroners’ Court heard Elena Ali and Sunny Parker-Propst were both given sodium nitrite instead of sodium bicarbonate in 2020 while under the care of staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2024
Scientists have also studied poisons such as sodium nitrite, but they risk harming other species.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2023
"Kristine and Ethan's fates were undisputedly tragic, but the court can only conclude that they necessarily knew the dangers of bodily injury and death associated with ingesting sodium nitrite," Robart wrote.
From Reuters ● Jun. 28, 2023
The solution is cooled to 0'0 in an ice-and-salt bath, and 250 g. of powdered technical sodium nitrite is added.
From Organic Syntheses by Conant, James Bryant
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
