Nitrate and Nitrite

Nitrate and Nitrite

  • Submitted By: Darkass
  • Date Submitted: 11/16/2010 3:19 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 382
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 240

Nitrate and Nitrite

Nitrate and nitrite are compounds that contain a nitrogen atom joined to oxygen atoms, with nitrate containing three oxygen atoms and nitrite containing two. In nature, nitrates are readily converted. To nitrites and vice versa, both are anions, or ions with a negative charge. They tend to associate with captions, or ions with a positive charge, to achieve a neutral charge balance. Nitrates are used primarily to make fertilizer, but they are also used to make glass and explosives. These compounds also are used in various chemical production and separation processes. Nitrites are manufactured mainly for use as a food preservative, and both nitrates and nitrites are used extensively to enhance the color and extend the shelf life of processed meats. Nitrates are naturally present in soil, water, and food. In the natural nitrogen cycle, bacteria convert nitrogen to nitrate, which is taken up by plants and incorporated into tissues. Animals that eat plants use the nitrate to produce proteins. Nitrate is returned to the environment in animal feces, as well as through microbial degradation of plants and animals after they die.

Nitrate is a normal component of the human diet, with the average daily intake from all sources estimated at 75 milligrams, or about 0.0026 ounce. Upon ingestion, about 5% of the nitrate taken in by healthy adults is converted to nitrite by bacteria in saliva. Further nitrate is converted by bacteria inside the alimentary tract. Certain conditions in the stomach can increase the conversion of nitrate to nitrite, specifically when this process is of major concern for infants, whose gastrointestinal systems normally have a higher than of adults. Nitrites in the stomach can react with food proteins to form Nitroso compounds; these compounds can also be produced when meat containing nitrites or nitrates is cooked, particularly using high heat. While these compounds are carcinogenic in test animals, evidence is inconclusive...

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