What does nitroglycerin mean?
Nitroglycerin is a powerful chemical compound with two sharply different uses. In industry and military contexts, it is a highly sensitive explosive, dangerous because shock, friction, heat, or other improper handling can cause detonation. In medicine, carefully controlled doses of nitroglycerin, usually given as tablets or through other formulations, relax and widen blood vessels. This can reduce the heart’s workload and relieve the crushing pain of angina. The compound was first developed in the nineteenth century and became important in both explosives and medicine. Its dual reputation is what makes it especially memorable: a substance used to demolish structures can also help protect a heart that is struggling.
nounNitroglycerin is a highly explosive organic compound made by treating glycerin with a mixture of concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids. It is a clear, oily liquid that can detonate from shock, friction, or heat, and it is used in explosives as well as in medicine to relieve angina.
- The explosive organic compound used in blasting, mining, and other high-energy applications.
- The medicinal form used to relieve angina and other forms of heart-related chest pain.
"The historic blast destroyed several buildings, while doctors used nitroglycerin to treat a patient’s severe chest pain."
"Workers stored the nitroglycerin in a carefully ventilated magazine because the compound could explode if mishandled."
"The physician prescribed nitroglycerin tablets, which the patient took when the pressure in his chest began to build."
The plural is grammatically possible but is uncommon in ordinary usage; the compound is usually discussed in the singular or as a mass noun.
"The laboratory documented the properties of several nitroglycerins under carefully controlled conditions."
A medicine capable of stopping a heart attack can also shatter a building: nitroglycerin’s power comes from the same chemical structure in both roles.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nitroglycerin come from?
The name combines “nitro-,” referring to the nitrogen-containing nitrate groups in the compound, with “glycerin,” or glycerol, the substance from which it is prepared. The compound was developed in the nineteenth century through the reaction of glycerin with concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids. Its later medicinal use arose from the discovery that small doses could relieve angina pain, while its earlier association with dynamite made it notorious as an explosive.
How nitroglycerin is actually used
In medicine, “nitroglycerin” is the common term in North America, while “nitroglycerine” is also widely used, especially in British English and historical accounts. The medicinal substance is normally administered in tiny doses and does not cause the explosive effects associated with the bulk chemical.
Easily confused with nitroglycerin
Nitroglycerin is the explosive chemical itself, whereas dynamite is an explosive mixture that historically contained nitroglycerin absorbed into a porous material.