Sodium Nitrite

What is sodium nitrite? Although it has many different uses, the principal use of sodium nitrite is for the industrial production of organonitrogen compounds. It is a reagent for conversion of amines into diazo compounds, which are key precursors to many dyes, such as diazo dyes. Nitroso compounds are produced from nitrites. These are also used in the rubber industry. Sodium nitrite is also an effective corrosion inhibitor and is used as an additive in industrial grease products, as an aqueous solution in closed loop cooling systems, and in a molten state as a heat transfer medium. In food production, sodium nitrite is used to facilitate the curing of meat products and also to impart a pink coloring on the products. In the early 1900s, irregular curing of meat was commonplace. This led to further research surrounding the use of sodium nitrite as a food additive, standardizing the amount present in foods to minimize the amount needed while maximizing its role as a food additive. Through this research, sodium nitrite has been found to give taste and color to the meat and inhibit lipid oxidation that leads to rancidity.

Industrial production of sodium nitrite can follow one of two processes: the reduction of nitrate salts, or the oxidation of lower nitrogen oxides. One method uses molten sodium nitrate as the salt, and lead which is oxidized, while a more modern method uses scrap iron filings to reduce the nitrate. A more widely used method involves the general reaction of nitrogen oxides in alkaline aqueous solution, with the addition of a catalyst. The exact conditions depend on which nitrogen oxides are used, and what the oxidant is, as the conditions need to be carefully controlled to avoid over oxidation of the nitrogen atom. Sodium nitrite has also been produced by reduction of nitrate salts by exposure to heat, light, ionizing radiation, metals, hydrogen, and electrolytic reduction.

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