sodium nitrite
noun
Chemistry. a yellowish or white crystalline compound, NaNO2, soluble in water, slightly soluble in alcohol and ether: used in the manufacture of dyes and as a color fixative.
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.
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Nearby words
- sodium meta-arsenite,
- sodium metasilicate,
- sodium methylate,
- sodium monoxide,
- sodium nitrate,
- sodium nitroprusside,
- sodium pentothal,
- sodium perborate,
- sodium peroxide,
- sodium phosphate
Origin of sodium nitrite
First recorded in 1900–05
Also called nitrite.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
sodium nitrite
n.
A white crystalline compound used to lower systemic blood pressure, to relieve local vasomotor spasms, to relax bronchial and intestinal spasms, and as an antidote for cyanide poisoning.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.