From the chemistry perspective, nitroimidazole antibiotics can be classified according to the location of the nitro functional group.

Structures with names 4- and 5-nitroimidazole are equivalent from the perspective of drugs since these tautomers readily interconvert.

Drugs of the 5-nitro variety include metronidazole, tinidazole, nimorazole, dimetridazole, pretomanid, ornidazole, megazol, and azanidazole.

[3] Nitroimidazole antibiotics have been used to combat anaerobic bacterial and parasitic infections.

Nitroheterocycles may be reductively activated in hypoxic cells, and then undergo redox recycling or decompose to toxic products.