| Verifiedfields | changed |
|---|---|
| Verifiedrevid | 399924589 |
| Pin | Ethyl nitrite |
| Othernames | 1-Nitrosooxyethane Ethyl alcohol nitrite Nitrous acid Nitrous ether Ethyl ester Nitrethyl |
The chemical compound ethyl nitrite is an alkyl nitrite with a chemical formula C2H5NO2. It may be prepared from ethanol.[1]
Uses
It is used as a reagent with butanone to yield the dimethylglyoxime end product.
Ethyl nitrite is the main ingredient in a traditional ethanol-based South African remedy for colds and flu known as Witdulsies, which is sold in pharmacies. It is known as a traditional Afrikaans remedy; the same remedy is apparently made by the Amish in the US. However, FDA has blocked over-the-counter sales of this same remedy, known in the US as sweet nitrite or sweet spirit of nitre, since 1980.[2] Its use has been associated with fatal methemoglobinemia.[3]
Methemoglobinemia is the primary toxic effect of ethyl nitrite.[4] Due to ethyl nitrite's high volatility and faint smell, in the presence of ethyl nitrite vapors, it is easy to breathe a high dose of it without realizing, resulting in methemoglobinemia,[5] which may or may not be severe, or even fatal.
References
- ^
- ^ "Rulemaking History for OTC Sweet Spirits of Nitre Drug Products". fda.gov. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
- ^ "ETHYL NITRITE - National Library of Medicine HSDB Database". toxnet.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-18. "ETHYL NITRITE - National Library of Medicine HSDB Database". Archived 2017-12-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
- ^ "Ethyl nitrite". Haz-Map. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ^ Titov, V Yu & Petrenko, Yu M (2005). "Proposed mechanism of nitrite-induced methemoglobinemia". Biochemistry (Moscow). 70 (4): 473–83. doi:10.1007/s10541-005-0139-7. PMID 15892615. S2CID 22906218