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.
Also called
nitrite.
Origin of sodium nitrite
First recorded in 1900–05
Words nearby sodium nitrite
Medical definitions for sodium nitrite
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.