ContaminantDB: Sodium nitrite

Identification Taxonomy Biological Properties Physical Properties Toxicity Profile Spectra Concentrations Links References Targets (9)XML

Record Information

Version

1.0

Creation Date

2009-08-05 14:22:29 UTC

Update Date

2026-04-05 15:38:31 UTC

Accession Number

CHEM002541

Identification

Common Name

Sodium nitrite

Class

Small Molecule

Description

Sodium nitrite is a chemical compound of sodium and nitrite ions. It is used mainly as a color fixative and preservative in meats and fish. Sodium nitrite may also be used in organic synthesis, in dyeing and printing textile fabrics, in photography, as a laboratory reagent and a corrosion inhibitor, and in the manufacture of rubber chemicals. Sodium nitrite also has been used in human and veterinary medicine as a vasodilator, a bronchodilator, and an antidote for cyanide poisoning. Nitrite is a toxic compound known to cause methemoglobinemia. (3, 5)

Contaminant Sources

Clean Air Act Chemicals
EAFUS Chemicals
FooDB Chemicals
HPV EPA Chemicals
OECD HPV Chemicals
T3DB toxins
ToxCast & Tox21 Chemicals

Contaminant Type

Food Toxin
Household Toxin
Industrial/Workplace Toxin
Inorganic Compound
Nitrite
Preservative
Synthetic Compound

Chemical Structure

MOL SDF PDB SMILES InChI

Synonyms

Value	Source
NaNO2	ChEBI
Natrium nitrit	ChEBI
Nitrite de sodium	ChEBI
Nitrito sodico	ChEBI
Nitrite, sodium	MeSH

Chemical Formula

NNaO₂

Average Molecular Mass

68.995 g/mol

Monoisotopic Mass

68.983 g/mol

CAS Registry Number

7632-00-0

IUPAC Name

sodium nitrite

Traditional Name

sodium nitrite

SMILES

[Na+].[O-]N=O

InChI Identifier

InChI=1S/HNO2.Na/c2-1-3;/h(H,2,3);/q;+1/p-1

InChI Key

LPXPTNMVRIOKMN-UHFFFAOYSA-M

Chemical Taxonomy

Description

belongs to the class of inorganic compounds known as alkali metal nitrites. These are inorganic compounds in which the largest oxoanion is nitrite, and in which the heaviest atom not in an oxoanion is an alkali metal.

Kingdom

Inorganic compounds

Super Class

Mixed metal/non-metal compounds

Class

Alkali metal oxoanionic compounds

Sub Class

Alkali metal nitrites

Direct Parent

Alkali metal nitrites

Alternative Parents

Substituents

Alkali metal nitrite
Inorganic nitrite
Inorganic sodium salt
Inorganic oxide
Inorganic salt

Molecular Framework

Not Available

External Descriptors

inorganic sodium salt (CHEBI:78870 )
nitrite salt (CHEBI:78870 )

Biological Properties

Status

Detected and Not Quantified

Origin

Exogenous

Cellular Locations

Cytoplasm
Extracellular

Biofluid Locations

Not Available

Tissue Locations

Not Available

Pathways

Not Available

Applications

Biological Roles

Chemical Roles

food antioxidant

Physical Properties

State

Solid

Appearance

White powder.

Experimental Properties

Property	Value
Melting Point	Not Available
Boiling Point	Not Available
Solubility	Not Available

Predicted Properties

Property	Value	Source
logP	0.17	ChemAxon
pKa (Strongest Acidic)	3.32	ChemAxon
pKa (Strongest Basic)	-3.5	ChemAxon
Physiological Charge	-1	ChemAxon
Hydrogen Acceptor Count	3	ChemAxon
Hydrogen Donor Count	0	ChemAxon
Polar Surface Area	52.49 Å²	ChemAxon
Rotatable Bond Count	0	ChemAxon
Refractivity	7.6 m³·mol⁻¹	ChemAxon
Polarizability	2.44 Å³	ChemAxon
Number of Rings	0	ChemAxon
Bioavailability	1	ChemAxon
Rule of Five	Yes	ChemAxon
Ghose Filter	No	ChemAxon
Veber's Rule	No	ChemAxon
MDDR-like Rule	No	ChemAxon

Spectra

Spectrum Type	Description	Splash Key	View
Predicted GC-MS	Predicted GC-MS Spectrum - GC-MS (Non-derivatized) - 70eV, Positive	splash10-014i-9000000000-9f30cf5313b48e1993c8	Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MS	Predicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 10V, Positive	splash10-014i-9000000000-1ee624a65c08dcecac9b	Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MS	Predicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 20V, Positive	splash10-014i-9000000000-5e2e92773f3c17549130	Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MS	Predicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum - 40V, Positive	splash10-014i-9000000000-a87ee670e6d73d57a26b	Spectrum

Toxicity Profile

Route of Exposure

Oral (3) ; inhalation (3)

Mechanism of Toxicity

Nitrite causes the autocatalytic oxidation of oxyhemoglobin to hydrogen peroxide and methemoglobin. This elevation of methemoglobin levels is a condition known as methemoglobinemia, and is characterized by tissue hypoxia, as methemoglobin cannot bind oxygen. (1, 4)

Metabolism

Nitrites and their metabolites are excreted in the urine. (3)

Toxicity Values

LD50: 158 mg/kg (Intraperitoneal, Mouse) (7) LD50: 65 mg/kg (Intravenous, Rat) (7) LD50: 85 mg/kg (Oral, Rat) (7) LC50: 5.5 mg/L over 4 hours (Inhalation, Rat) (7)

Lethal Dose

10 to 100 mg/kg for an adult human. (6)

Carcinogenicity (IARC Classification)

Ingested nitrate or nitrite under conditions that result in endogenous nitrosation is probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A). (2)

Uses/Sources

Sodium nitrite is used mainly as a color fixative and preservative in meats and fish. Sodium nitrite may also be used in organic synthesis, in dyeing and printing textile fabrics, in photography, as a laboratory reagent and a corrosion inhibitor, and in the manufacture of rubber chemicals. Sodium nitrite also has been used in human and veterinary medicine as a vasodilator, a bronchodilator, and an antidote for cyanide poisoning. (5)

Minimum Risk Level

Not Available

Health Effects

Nitrite poisoning causes methemoglobinemia. Nitrites may cause pregnancy complications and developmental effects. They may also be carcinogenic. (3)

Symptoms

Nitrite poisoning causes methemoglobinemia. Symptoms include cyanosis, cardiac dysrhythmias and circulatory failure, and progressive central nervous system (CNS) effects. CNS effects can range from mild dizziness and lethargy to coma and convulsions. (3)

Treatment

Methemoglobinemia can be treated with supplemental oxygen and methylene blue 1% solution administered intravenously slowly over five minutes followed by IV flush with normal saline. Methylene blue restores the iron in hemoglobin to its normal (reduced) oxygen-carrying state. (4)

Concentrations

Not Available

External Links

DrugBank ID

DB09112

HMDB ID

HMDB0303548

FooDB ID

FDB015435

Phenol Explorer ID

Not Available

KNApSAcK ID