sodium nitrite

noun

nitrite used to preserve and color food especially in meat and fish products; implicated in the formation of suspected carcinogens

• Hypernyms: ↑nitrite

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noun

: a colorless or yellowish deliquescent salt NaNO₂ made usually by absorption of nitrogen oxide in a solution of soda ash and used chiefly for diazotizing (as in dye manufacture) and in medicine

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1. Chem. 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.

2. Nutrition. this compound added to food as a preservative and for flavor and color, esp. in pork, fish, and beef products: implicated in the formation of suspected carcinogens. Also called nitrite.

[1900-05]

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sodium nitrite,

a white or pale-yellow granular or powdery salt, used in making dyes and organic chemicals, and to treat cyanide poisoning in animals. Formula: NaNO₂