What are the properties of nitrite? What is nitrite

Because nitrite has preservative properties and can be combined with myoglobin in meat to be more stable, it is often added in the food processing industry as a color retention agent in sausages and bacon to maintain a good appearance; Secondly, it can prevent the production of Clostridium botulinum and improve the safety of meat products.

However, excessive absorption of nitrite by the human body will affect the operation of red blood cells, so that the blood cannot transport oxygen, and the lips and fingertips will turn blue, which is commonly known as "cyanoblood", which can seriously lead to lack of oxygen to the brain and even death. Nitrite itself is not carcinogenic, but under cooking or other conditions, nitrite in meat can react with amino acid degradation to form nitrosamines, which are highly carcinogenic.

If the consumption of nitrate or nitrite content of high content of cured meat products, kimchi and spoiled vegetables can cause poisoning, or mistakenly use industrial sodium nitrite as salt to eat, can also be seen in drinking nitrate or nitrite bitter well water, steamer water, nitrite can oxidize the normal oxygen-carrying low hemoglobin in the blood to methemoglobin, thus losing the oxygen-carrying capacity and causing tissue hypoxia.

Nitrates andNitriteThere are three main differences in reduction: composition, transformation conditions, and reduction.

1. The composition is different

Nitrates are usually made up of metal ions or ammonium ions.

and nitrate ions. Nitrate is almost dissolved in water, only urea nitrate is slightly soluble in water, and bismuth nitrate is insoluble in water, so nitrate in solution cannot be precipitated by most other cations.

Nitrite mainly refers to sodium nitrite, white to yellow powder or granular, slightly salty, soluble in water. Similar in appearance and taste to salt, it is widely used in industry and construction. Meat products can also be used as a chromogenic agent. Nitrite causes food poisoning.

higher risk. Eating grams of nitrite can cause poisoning, and 3 grams can lead to death.

2. The transformation conditions are different

Under the action of reducing bacteria, nitrate can be reduced to nitrite. When cooked at high temperatures, or in an aerobic environment for a long time, nitrate is converted to nitrite.

3. Reducibility is different

Nitrite has a lower valence state than nitrate and is more easily oxidized, so nitrite is more reducible than nitrate.

Nitrate is a general term for a class of inorganic compounds, mainly white to light yellow powders or granules, slightly salty in taste, soluble in water.

Nitrate and nitrite are widely present in the human environment, white to light yellow granular crystals or powders, tasteless, easy to deliquescent, toxic, slightly soluble in alcohol and ether, the aqueous solution is alkaline, nitrite is ubiquitous in nature, that is to say, a person in all natural and unnatural environments, will inevitably come into contact with nitrite.

Properties of nitriteNitrate is converted to nitrite in living plants, and nitrate reductase is at work. The gradual increase in nitrite content in fried leftovers is due to nitrate-reducing bacteria. Most of the nitrate-reducing bacteria found so far prefer to live in an anaerobic and hypoxic state.

It can also be oxidized in case of strong oxidants, especially ammonium salts, such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium persulfate, etc., at room temperature, which can interact with each other to produce high heat and cause combustion of combustibles.

The above content reference: Encyclopedia - nitrite.

1. Sodium nitrite is a kind of nitrite, and its aqueous solution is alkaline (pH=9). It corrodes glass and rubber, but it is not corrosive.

2. In the processing and production of various meat products, the use of sodium nitrite is quite common. Because sodium nitrite can produce color in the muscles, making the finished product ruddy. In addition, sodium linite also has the effect of improving flavor, inhibiting oxidation, and inhibiting bacterial reproduction.

3. Sodium nitrite is toxic, if the food contains excessive doses of sodium nitrite, people will cause acute food poisoning after eating, and even life-threatening. Therefore, it is very important to control the amount of sodium nitrite in food and the amount of residues.

Nitrite is a salt made of nitrite, mainly sodium nitrite (nano2), containing nitrite ions, with a symmetrical anion with an equivalent N O bond length and an O bond angle of about 120 degrees.

Nitrite can be oxidized or reduced, and the product depends to some extent on the oxidizing agent and its strength. Nitrite is also important for biochemistry as a potent vasodilator of nitric oxide (NO).

Nitrite can also be used in the food production industry, used to cure meat to preserve meat, and nitrate amine produced by the action of secondary amines can cause human carcinogenesis when consumed for a long time, which is harmful to human health.

Nitrate and nitrite are two common chemicals that differ in structure and properties. Here are some of their differences:

1.Chemical Structure: The main difference between nitrate and nitrite is their chemical structure.

Nitrate is usually made up of metal ions or ammonium ions and nitrate ions, while nitrite is made up of one nitrogen atom and two oxygen atoms. For example, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite are representative substances for nitrate and nitrite, respectively.

2.Physical properties: There are also differences in the physical properties of nitrate and nitrite.

Typically, nitrate is a white solid with some solubility, while nitrite is a yellowish solid with poor solubility. For example, sodium nitrate has a better solubility, while sodium nitrite has a comparatively less solubility.

3.Chemical properties: There are also certain differences in the chemical properties of nitrate and nitrite.

For example, nitrate can be reduced to nitrite under acidic conditions, while nitrite can be oxidized to nitrate in the presence of an oxidizing agent. In addition, nitrate and nitrite also have different reducing and oxidizing properties, and their reactivity is also different.

4.Biological significance: Nitrate and nitrite are also biologically significant.

For example, nitrate is one of the important sources of nitrogen for plant growth, which can be converted into organic substances such as proteins and nucleic acids in plants. Nitrite, on the other hand, is a toxic substance that can lead to poisoning and harm to human health if ingested in excess.

5.Environmental impact: Nitrate and nitrite also have different environmental impacts.

For example, nitrates are abundant in water, and when nitrogenous contaminants break down in the water, large amounts of nitrate are quickly reduced to harmful nitrites. Therefore, for the problem of eutrophication of water bodies, it is necessary to control the content of nitrate and nitrite in water bodies.

In summary, there are certain differences between nitrate and nitrite in terms of chemical structure, physical properties, chemical properties, biological significance, and environmental impact. Understanding the differences between them can help to better control and utilize these two chemistry to avoid unnecessary harm to the environment and human health.

Nitrite is widely found in food ingredients, almost no meat, and especially more in vegetables, and "the nitrate content in vegetables is ranked from high to low, in order: petioles, leaves, stems, roots, flowers, tubers, bulbs, fruits, and seeds". This is due to the widespread existence of nitrogen in nature, and the nitrogen content in plant fertilizers is also extremely high, plants absorb nitrogen in the natural environment and synthesize amino acids through complex biochemical reactions, in this process, nitrate is essential, and the reductase contained in the plant will convert a part of the rapidly buried nitrate into nitrite.

Therefore, nitrite is not produced by humans during the post-processing and preservation of food, but is a substance that is already present in food.

The claim that "nitrite causes cancer" is not comprehensive. When experts talk about nitrite, they talk more about the toxicity of nitrite. The toxicity of nitrite is mainly due to its ability to oxidize hemoglobin to methemoglobin, which causes hypoxia and leads to cyanosis.

It is generally thought that adults who ingest more than 200 mg of nitrite at a time may have a toxic reaction. In cases where an infant ingests too much nitrate-containing water or food may cause "blue baby disease", it is also thought that nitrate conversion to nitrite is also caused. The reason why nitrite is carcinogenic is that ingested protein will break down amines, and nitrite will combine with these amines to form nitrate amine, which is a carcinogenic substance.