Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
nitrite

nitrite

9 7.3
A chemical ion or salt with NO2 often found in foods and water and used to preserve meats
  • noun
  • /ˈnaɪtraɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nitrito
  • Table 1 shows the nitrate and nitrite levels in water samples from the industrialized area of the city.
  • nitrite levels
  • nitrite in the water
  • nitrite concentrations

Now back when they cured it, it contained much, much more salt, much more nitrates and nitrites than it then it currently contains.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Groundwater in some areas has been contaminated with high levels of nitrite from agricultural runoff.

  • Nitrate and nitrite levels in water samples from the market area are shown in Table 2.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Subtracting nitrite from the total of nitrate and nitrite gives the nitrate total.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Wells closer to cultivated fields did not have higher levels of nitrate, nitrite, or ammonia.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The appreciable quantities of nitrates and nitrites found in these investigations have some public health implications.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The compost is regularly tested for nitrite and sulfide levels during the composting and curing process.

    Academic text (1998)

  • A urine dipstick test can be offered to detect blood, glucose, protein, leukocytes, and nitrites.

    Academic text (2012)

  • In the nitrification phase, ammonia is oxidized by aerobic bacteria into nitrite and nitrate.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The compost is regularly tested for nitrite levels to ensure safety during the composting process.

  • Scientists measure nitrite concentrations to assess the environmental impact of wastewater discharges.

Compounds

sodium nitrite
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A white salt used to preserve and color meat and fish

butyl nitrite
  • NSFW
9.0

A clear liquid that people sometimes inhale for a short feeling of pleasure

isobutyl nitrite
  • NSFW
9.9

A strong smelling liquid people inhale for a short high that can be dangerous

nitrite bacterium
  • Specialized
6.8

A tiny living thing that turns ammonia into nitrite in soil or water

Surface Forms

nitrite singular
nitrites plural

Morphology

nitrite = nitre (semi-transparent) = nitri + ite

Formed from the chemical stem 'nitri-' plus the suffix '-ite' (denoting a salt/anion), but the precise ionic meaning requires domain-specific chemistry knowledge.

Etymology

Nitrite comes from nitre, an old word for a nitrate 'salt', plus the ending -ite, which names salts or minerals. Because nitre and nitrogen are related, nitrite now means the NO2− form of nitrogen found as a salt, so the word names both the ion and the salts made from it.