Ethyl nitrate

Ethyl nitrate has formula. It is used in organic synthesis and an ingredient in drugs, dyes, and perfume. Organic compounds such as ethyl nitrate are also found in the atmosphere, where they can react with other gases to form smog.

Originally thought to be a pollutant mainly formed by the combustion of fossil fuels, recent analysis of ocean water samples revealed that in places where cool water rises from the deep, the water was saturated with alkyl nitrates, suggesting that they might be formed by natural processes.