nitroglycerin

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nitroglycerin

nitroglycerin , C ₃ H ₅ N ₃ O ₉ , colorless, oily, highly explosive liquid. It is the nitric acid triester of glycerol and is more correctly called glycerol trinitrate. It is insoluble in water but soluble in ether, acetone, benzene, and chloroform. An unstable compound, nitroglycerin decomposes with explosive violence when heated or jarred. It is mixed with an absorbent material to form dynamite (which is not so sensitive to slight shocks) and is also used as a component of smokeless powder. Nitroglycerin was discovered (c.1847) by the Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero and was first produced commercially by Alfred Nobel . It is used medicinally to provide temporary relief from the symptoms of angina pectoris ; the body converts it to nitric oxide, which causes narrowed blood vessels to relax.

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nitroglycerin

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

ni·tro·glyc·er·in / ˌnītrōˈglisərin/ (also nitroglycerine) • n. Chem. an explosive yellow liquid, CH₂(NO₃)CH(NO₃)CH₂(NO₃), made by nitrating glycerol, used in explosives such as dynamite. It is also used in medicine as a vasodilator in the treatment of angina pectoris.

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"nitroglycerin." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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