Nitrous Ether — Chambers's Encyclopaedia

Nitrous Ether, or NITRITE OF ETHYL, $\text{C}_2\text{H}_5\text{NO}_2$ , is a very volatile ether, with an agree- able apple odour, and having a specific gravity of .900. It boils at 64.4° (18° C.), and is highly inflammable. It is readily soluble in alcohol and glycerine, less so in water. It is very liable to decomposition, becoming acid on keeping. It may be prepared by the action of sulphuric acid and alcohol on nitrite of potash. In itself it is of little importance, but on account of its relation to the sweet spirits of nitre or spirit of vitriol ether is one of the most important drugs. It was for long thought that the virtues of this valuable remedy were proportionally due to the nitrous ether present, and attention was directed to the preparation of the pure substance. When this was administered in the form of solution of the strength of sweet spirits of nitre, it was found that its action was different from and inferior to that of the latter. The sweet spirits of nitre contains in addition aldehyde and paraldehyde, and it is believed that to these we must ascribe much of its virtue. Be this as it may, the legal test is based on the presence of some ethereal body, presumably nitrite of ethyl, and yet many a sample may be efficacious and fail to satisfy the standard test. The spirit should be freshly made, be kept in well-closed bottles, and should not be acid. Its specific gravity should not exceed .845, as an admixture of water tends towards decomposition. It may be prepared by the action of nitric and sulphuric acids on alcohol in the presence of copper, but manufacturers attain the same end by other processes. It is used, in conjunction with other medicines, as a diuretic, especially in the dropsy which follows scarlatina; and it is employed, in combination with acetate of ammonia and tartarised antimony, in febrile affections. The dose in febrile cases is from half a drachm to a couple of drachms; while for a diuretic two or three drachms should be given.