amyl nitrite n a pale yellow pungent flammable liquid ester C5H11NO2 of commercial amyl alcohol and nitrous acid that is used chiefly in medicine as a vasodilator esp. in treating angina pectoris and illicitly as an aphrodisiac called also isoamyl nitrite compare POPPER
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[USP] a mixture of the nitrite esters of 3-methyl-1-butanol and 2-methyl-1-butanol, a flammable clear liquid with an ethereal odor, volatile at low temperatures and administered by inhalation. It is a vasodilator and is used as a diagnostic aid in tests of reserve cardiac function and diagnosis of certain heart murmurs; it has also been used in the treatment of acute angina pectoris, although it has largely been replaced by other agents. It is also used in treatment of cyanide poisoning to promote formation of methemoglobin, which combines with the cyanide ion to form nontoxic cyanmethemoglobin. It is abused to produce euphoria and as a sexual stimulant and may cause methemoglobinemia, hemolytic anemia, and immunologic disorders.Medical dictionary. 2011.