''S''-Nitroso-''N''-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) is the

organosulfur compound Organosulfur compounds are organic compounds that contain sulfur. They are often associated with foul odors, but many of the sweetest compounds known are organosulfur derivatives, e.g., saccharin. Nature abounds with organosulfur compounds—sulfu ...

with the formula ON S C( CH₃)₂ C H( N H Ac) CO₂H. It is a green solid. SNAP is an ''S''-nitrosothiol and is used as a model for the general class of ''S''-nitrosothiols which have received much attention in

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

because

nitric oxide Nitric oxide (nitrogen oxide or nitrogen monoxide) is a colorless gas with the formula . It is one of the principal oxides of nitrogen. Nitric oxide is a free radical: it has an unpaired electron, which is sometimes denoted by a dot in its che ...

and some organic nitroso derivatives serve as signaling molecules in living systems, especially related to vasodilation. SNAP is derived from the

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...

penicillamine. ''S''-Nitrosoglutathione is a related agent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, S- Sulfur compounds Nitroso compounds Secondary amino acids Amides