   the nitrite ion, which has the chemical formula no2â, is a symmetric anion with equal nâo bond lengths and an oânâo bond angle of approximately 120Â°. upon protonation, the unstable weak acid nitrous acid is produced. nitrite can be oxidized or reduced, with the product somewhat dependent on the oxidizing/reducing agent and its strength. the nitrite ion is an ambidentate ligand, and is known to bond to metal centers in at least five different ways. nitrite is also important in biochemistry as a source of the potent vasodilator nitric oxide. in organic chemistry the no2 group is present in nitrous acid esters and nitro compounds. nitrites are also used in the food production industry for curing meat. == the nitrite ion == === nitrite salts === sodium nitrite made industrially by passing "nitrous fumes" into aqueous sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate solution: :no + no2 + 2naoh (or na2co3) &rarr; 2nano2 +h2o (or co2) the product is purified by recrystallization. alkali metal nitrites are thermally stable up to and beyond their melting point (441&nbsp;Â°c for kno2). ammonium nitrite can be made from dinitrogen trioxide, n2o3, which is formally the anhydride of nitrous acid: :2nh3 + h2o + n2o3 &rarr; 2nh4no2 this compound may decompose explosively on heating. in organic chemistry nitrites are used in diazotization reactions. === structure ===  the nitrite ion has a symmetrical structure (c2v [[molecular point 
Curing_agents Garde_manger Nitrites Nitrogen_metabolism Oxoanions