Potassium nitrite (CED0010583)

Record Information

Version

1.0

Creation Date

2009-08-05 14:21:34 UTC

Update Date

2026-04-05 18:43:14 UTC

Accession Number

CHEM002540

Identification

Common Name

Potassium nitrite

Class

Small Molecule

Description

Potassium nitrite is an exogenous inorganic compound with the formula KNO2 and an average molecular weight of 85.10 g/mol. It exists as a solid at room temperature. Potassium nitrite belongs to the alkali metal nitrites, a subclass of alkali metal oxoanionic compounds within the inorganic compounds. It is used as a food preservative and in the manufacturing of heat transfer salts. The compound is found in or released from seven recorded sources, including household cleaning and consumer products such as soap dispensers and tobacco product cases or moisture control. It is also found in electrical and electronic equipment, specifically antennas and gas filled discharge tubes with solid cathode, as well as in food, food processing and cookware, including the processing of meats and the preparation of wine or sparkling wine. Potassium nitrite is associated with colorectal cancer (PMC10301060). It targets hemoglobin subunit alpha (HBA1) and hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB). Nitrite causes the autocatalytic oxidation of oxyhemoglobin to hydrogen peroxide and methemoglobin. This elevation of methemoglobin levels results in a condition known as methemoglobinemia, which is characterized by tissue hypoxia because methemoglobin cannot bind oxygen.

Contaminant Type

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

Chemical Structure

MOL SDF PDB SMILES InChI

Synonyms

Not Available

Chemical Formula

KNO₂

Average Molecular Mass

85.104 g/mol

Monoisotopic Mass

84.957 g/mol

CAS Registry Number

7758-09-0

IUPAC Name

potassium nitrite

Traditional Name

potassium nitrite

SMILES

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

InChI Identifier

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

InChI Key

BXNHTSHTPBPRFX-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 oxide
Inorganic salt

Molecular Framework

Not Available

External Descriptors

Not Available

Biological Properties

Status

Detected and Not Quantified

Origin

Exogenous

Cellular Locations

Cytoplasm
Extracellular

Biofluid Locations

Not Available

Tissue Locations

Not Available

Applications

Not Available

Biological Roles

Not Available

Chemical Roles

Not Available

Organoleptic Effects

Not Available

Physical Properties

State

Solid

Appearance

White powder.

Experimental Properties

Property	Value
Melting Point	440°C (decomp)
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	Yes	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	Deposition Date	View
Predicted GC-MS	Predicted GC-MS Spectrum	splash10-001i-9000000000-e60ddfbbc2acd3780a5c	Not Available	View Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MS	Predicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum	splash10-000i-9000000000-daef1bc2a1ca857a1332	Not Available	View Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MS	Predicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum	splash10-000i-9000000000-059350c5062db4fcc53f	Not Available	View Spectrum
Predicted LC-MS/MS	Predicted LC-MS/MS Spectrum	splash10-000i-9000000000-9b896e4e7609011eac15	Not Available	View Spectrum

Toxicity Profile

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)

Carcinogenicity (IARC Classification)

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

Minimum Risk Level

Not Available

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)

Toxicity Values

Toxicity Value	Unit	Value Range	Organism	Dose Descriptor	Route of Exposure	Predicted or Experimental	Reference
85.0	g/m3	Not Available	Mouse	LC50	Inhalation (2 hours)	experimental	T13

Health Effects

Health Effect	Relationship	Direction	Reference
colorectal cancer	associated_with	Not Available	PMC10301060

Exposure Sources

Source ID	Source	Sector	Reference
506	Antennas	Electrical & Electronic Equipment	Not Available
523	Gas Filled Discharge Tubes With Solid Cathode	Electrical & Electronic Equipment	Not Available
549	Preparation Of Wine Or Sparkling Wine	Food, food processing & cookware	Not Available
552	Processing Meats	Food, food processing & cookware	Not Available
564	Soap Dispensers	Household cleaning & consumer products	Not Available
567	Tobacco Product Cases	Household cleaning & consumer products	Not Available
568	Tobacco Product Moisture Control	Household cleaning & consumer products	Not Available
579	Manufacture Of Iron Or Steel	Industrial manufacturing & chemical processing	Not Available
589	Life Buoys	Marine, shipping & aquaculture	Not Available
635	Buttons	Textiles, leather & furnishings	Not Available
652	Ropes	Textiles, leather & furnishings	Not Available
654	Sleeve Links	Textiles, leather & furnishings	Not Available

Pathways

0 pathways

No pathways found

No metabolic pathways have been associated with this synthetic chemical

Targets

Structure	Protein	UniProt ID	Organism	Relationship	Details
Click to view 3D structure	Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1	P51647	Rattus norvegicus	Predicted (SEA)	68.8187
Click to view 3D structure	Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase	P46406	Oryctolagus cuniculus	Predicted (SEA)	44.6855
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 2	P00918	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.99
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 9	Q16790	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.75
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 1	P00915	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7784.14
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 12	O43570	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.44
Click to view 3D structure	Cyclin-dependent kinase 1	P06493	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7782.59
Click to view 3D structure	Cyclin-dependent kinase 2	P24941	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.52
Click to view 3D structure	Beta-carbonic anhydrase 1	P9WPJ7	Mycobacterium tuberculosis	Predicted (SEA)	7732.22
Click to view 3D structure	Arylsulfatase	P51691	Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strain ATCC 15692 / PAO1 / 1C / PRS 101 / LMG 12228)	Predicted (SEA)	2906.5
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 7	P43166	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.68
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 5B, mitochondrial	Q9Y2D0	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7782.51
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase	Q5AJ71	Candida albicans (strain SC5314 / ATCC MYA-2876) (Yeast)	Predicted (SEA)	7759.08
Click to view 3D structure	Streptokinase A	P10520	Streptococcus pyogenes serotype M1	Predicted (SEA)	7784.14
Click to view 3D structure	Amine oxidase [flavin-containing] A	P21397	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.52
Click to view 3D structure	Endolysin	P00720	Enterobacteria phage T4	Predicted (SEA)	1389.22
Click to view 3D structure	Alpha carbonic anhydrase	B5SU02	Stylophora pistillata	Predicted (SEA)	7716.18
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase	Q6FTL6	Candida glabrata CBS 138	Predicted (SEA)	7738.21
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 4	P22748	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7784.14
Click to view 3D structure	Acetylcholinesterase	P22303	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.83
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 5A, mitochondrial	P35218	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.68
Click to view 3D structure	Delta carbonic anhydrase	Q5U9J1	Conticribra weissflogii	Predicted (SEA)	7717.04
Click to view 3D structure	Astrosclerin-3	A6YCJ1	Astrosclera willeyana	Predicted (SEA)	7732.45
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 6	P23280	Humans	Predicted (SEA)	7783.75
Click to view 3D structure	Carbonic anhydrase 2	Q3I4V7	Cryptococcus neoformans	Predicted (SEA)	7769.82
Click to view 3D structure	Hemoglobin subunit alpha	P69905	Humans	Known	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. (A2450, L1613)
Click to view 3D structure	Hemoglobin subunit beta	P68871	Humans	Known	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. (A2450, L1613)