Side effects of Butyl nitrite

Butyl nitrite is an extremely flammable, insoluble liquid with vapor pressure of 62 mm Hg and boiling point of 75°C.Butyl nitrite can be prepared by reacting nitrous acid (generated in situ by reacting a metal nitrite with a mineral acid) with n-butanol. Butyl nitrite is highly flammable. It may cause toxic effects if inhaled or absorbed through skin. Contact with this material may irritate or burn skin and eyes. Butyl nitrite is an alkyl nitrite made from n-butanol. 

Use

Butyl nitrite is used in the manufacture of rare earth azides. It is used as a recreational drug due its vasodilator property.

Metabolism

Butyl nitrite is ineffective by ingestion because it is degraded in the gastrointestinal tract. A 44% uptake of butyl nitrite was observed when rats were atmospherically exposed for 5 min periods. It is very rapidly transformed in the body. The likely products of butyl nitrite in vivo might be butyl alcohol, methemoglobin, nitrite ion, nitrate ion, nitrosothiols, and possibly other nitroso compounds. Butyl nitrite is also very rapidly distributed to various parts of the body such as muscles and vascular and circulating systems. The metabolites bind to hemoglobin, glutathione, and other plasma proteins. Metabolites such as nitrite ions can be eliminated in exhaled air.

Side effects

Butyl nitrite causes rapid S-nitrosyl glutathione formation and simultaneously reduces protein thiols, followed by marked adenosine triphosphate depletion. It also causes lipid peroxidation. It produces methemoglobinemia in which oxidized hemoglobin has no oxygen carrying capacity. Also, in the clinical state of methemoglobinemia, the unaltered hemoglobin shows an increased affinity for oxygen that results in symptoms of tissue hypoxia. Cyanosis occurs when methemoglobin levels are greater than 10%. Levels above 70% are potentially lethal.

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