[Studies on the reactability of chlordiazepoxide to its N-nitrosos derivative in physiological conditions (author's transl)].

It is shown that chlordiazepoxide readily reacts with sodium nitrite in an aqueous HCl solution as well as in human gastric juice to N-nitrosochlordiazepoxide with a high yield (up to 75%). For this reaction the pH optimum has been determined to be 1.4. After oral application of chlordiazepoxide alone or in combination with nitrite to rats, the drug as well as its N-nitroso derivative were recovered from serum and analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography.