butyl nitrite

A colorless, volatile liquid butyl ester of nitrous acid, C₄H₉NO₂, included as an ingredient in some household room deodorizers and used illicitly to induce euphoria and enhance sexual stimulation.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bu′tyl ni′trite

a volatile liquid, C₄H₉NO₂, used as an active ingredient in some household deodorizers. Compare popper (def. 3).

[1975–80]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

butyl nitrite - a colorless pungent liquid sometimes used as a stimulant drug by drug abusers

isobutyl nitrite

excitant, stimulant drug, stimulant - a drug that temporarily quickens some vital process

vasodilative, vasodilator - a drug that causes dilation of blood vessels

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References in periodicals archive

Respondents were asked three nitrite-related questions: 1) "Have you ever inhaled or 'huffed' amyl nitrite (i.e., 'poppers' or 'snappers') through your nose or mouth in an effort to get high?"; 2) "Have you ever inhaled or 'huffed' butyl nitrite (e.g., 'Rush,' 'Locker Room,' 'Medusa,' 'Bolt,' 'Bullet,' or 'Climax') through your nose or mouth in an effort to get high?"; and 3) "Have you ever inhaled or 'huffed' any other product containing amyl or butyl nitrite through your nose or mouth in an effort to get high?" Most youth were familiar with the term "huffing" and few respondents evidenced any difficulty in understanding the meaning of the inhalant use questions.

Nitrite inhalant abuse in antisocial youth: prevalence, patterns, and predictors

Hindsight: "Researchers seem to agree that butyl nitrite, the principal ingredient in most over-the-counter poppers, may be a culprit."

25 years of advocacy: a sampling of a quarter century of this magazine's coverage of the AIDS epidemic, from poppers to barebacking

Amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite were among those judged hardest to get, with only 19% of 12th graders saying they would be "easy" or "fairly easy" to acquire.

Teens' illicit drug use down, but Rx abuse up

At discharge, the patient described repeated inhalations of nitrite over a 30-min period before his syncopal episode and turned over a 10-mL unmarked colored bottle containing 5 mL of remaining liquid later identified as butyl nitrite by gas chromatography.

Laboratory assessment of oxygenation in methemoglobinemia