INTRODUCTION
Nitric oxide (NO) was among the first gas to be discovered in 1772, two years after the discovery of oxygen (O2
) by the renowned Joseph Priestly.Bogdan, (2000) defined nitric oxide as a free form gas that is produced in the body and is used by the body to communicate to other cells in the body. For more than two centuries this colorless and odorless gas was considered highly toxic. It is formed from nitrogen which comprises 80% and 20% oxygen of air. A highly reactive compound, it only exists for 6 to 10 seconds inside the body, then it is converted by oxygen into other compounds of nitrogen called nitrites. Uniquely, it is one of the few compounds with an odd number of electrons thereby making it a free-radical prone to ionizations. As one of the simplest compounds in nature, nitric oxide had been overlooked as an important factor to the body’s chemistry. Due to recent exposure however, thousands of new studies are being conducted concerning its application such as the role of nitric oxide in helping our immune system fight disease has been established (Bredt and Snyder, 1992). When our body notifies the immune system of an invader, our system uses other compounds to create nitric oxide. The nitric oxide in turn allows the macrophage S3 to devour such invaders as bacteria, Fungi and tumour cells (Bredt and Snyder, 1992). Nitric oxide has also been identified as a “messenger molecule” (Bredt and Snyder, 1992). In 1987, scientist working independently of each other in California and in England first revealed nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter. They were trying to identify the compound that caused the layer of cells that line the heart and blood vessels to relax. Finding that when the neuro-chemical acetylcholine 4 hit the surface of these cells released nitric oxide, scientists observed the relaxation of the muscle adjacent to the layer of cells. This discovery led to new breakthroughs toward better treatment for angina, hypertension and other serious heart problem. Nitric oxide since it is new understood to be the principal regulator of blood pressure (Quitab, 2003) is leading the old drug nitroglycerine in related breakthroughs.
The research was carried out in order to find out the functions nitric oxide carry in out body. It also shows how versatile the compound is which helps in carrying its specific roles.
DEFINITION AND PROPERTIES OF
NITRIC OXIDE
Nitric oxide is defined as a free form gas that is produced in the body and is used by the body to communicate to other cells in the body (Bogdan, 2000). A highly reactive compound that is also toxic also bears the name of nitrous air.
The chemical compound which is made up of one part nitrogen and one part oxygen is a simple molecule which is found in nearly major aspect of human physiology. It has been found to be produced by virtually every cell in the body such as cell of nervous and immune systems (Dash, 2007)
General properties of Nitric oxide
Name Nitrogen monoxide
Chemical Formula NO
Appearance Colorless gas Physical
Formula weight 30.0mn
Melting point 109k (-1640
c)Boiling point 121k (-152o
C)Density 1.3 x 103
kg/m3
Solubility 0.0056g
Thermo-chemistry
DF Ho
liquid 90Kj/molDF Ho
liquid 87.7kg/mol50
gas/bar 211kj/molSource: Elfering et al., (2002)