What Does Nitroglycerine Smell like?

Have you ever watched a movie or a tv show where the characters were in the middle of a verbal war when suddenly an old lady clutches her chest and falls to the ground moaning? Then suddenly, another character runs to the drawer, procures a small bottle of medicines, and puts one in the mouth of the fallen old lady. And then suddenly, the old lady stops moaning and visibly gets better.

Such scenes have always intrigued me, but I never gave it much thought until I became an angina patient myself, and my doctor gave me the same tablets. That is when the years-old mystery got resolved for me. So I decided why not tell people how that works since I’ve had two years of experience with this thing. So here I am with my knowledge and experience to enlighten you guys on how that magic tablet works and what it’s made of.

That tablet, in fact, consists of Nitroglycerine, which is a colorless and odorless chemical primarily used in medications and dynamite explosives. It is an oily liquid at room temperature and highly toxic if used in its raw form. The high nitrogen content in nitroglycerine makes it perfect for dynamite explosives as well.

What Does Nitroglycerine Smell Like?

Nitroglycerine in its raw form is unscented and odorless. However, its highly explosive nature makes it perfect to be used in dynamite explosives. Such explosives, before going off, produce nitroglycerine fumes. These fumes smell like bananas. Other than that, nitroglycerine is entirely fragrance-free. Even the angina tablets and mouth sprays of nitroglycerine are odorless.

What Does Nitroglycerine Tablets do?

Angina patients use nitroglycerine tablets. Angina is a condition in which the patient’s heart doesn’t receive enough oxygenated blood. As a result, the patient feels an intense wave of torturous pain in the chest. So, in order to prevent that chest pain, the patient is prescribed these tablets.

How Do Nitroglycerine Tablets Work?

Nitroglycerine tablets are put under the tongue, where it immediately dissolves and enters the bloodstream. It works by widening the heart vessels so that more of the oxygenated blood can travel to the heart. But remember, these tablets are not to be chewed or crushed in the mouth; otherwise, the pills will lose their vigor and efficiency.

What are the side effects of Nitroglycerine Tablets?

In certain rare cases, the consumption of nitroglycerine tablets may show certain side effects in people. Even though such occurrences are rare, but they do exist. The side effects include headaches, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, and tingling of hands and feet. If you experience such symptoms after consuming these pills, abandon the use immediately and consult your doctor.

Moreover, it is necessary to notice any signs of smoking or weed odor in a patient before prescribing nitroglycerine. Since nicotine and marijuana usage can reduce the efficacy of the drug, therefore, the effects can vary based on the patients’ history

FAQs

What is the original consistency of Nitroglycerine?

Nitroglycerine is a chemical compound that is colorless and odorless in its original form. However, it has a sweetly pungent taste. Moreover, it is an oily liquid at room temperature.

What is the odor of nitroglycerin?

Nitroglycerin is a chemical compound used profusely in making dynamite explosives. In its natural form, it is odorless and colorless. However, the fumes coming from dynamite explosives smell like bananas.

Conculsion

So, by far you guys have a pretty fair idea of how nitroglycerine smells like in its original form and in the form of fumes. For a quick revision, nitroglycerine is an odorless liquid at room temperature however it gives off banana-flavored fumes inside a dynamite explosive when it is about to go off. Nitroglycerine used in medicines does not have any odor either. So it is safe to say that it is odorless in all forms except when used in dynamite explosives.