Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to nitroethane (C2H5NO2) in the gas phase is studied using a crossed electron-molecule beams technique. The ion yields for particular fragment ions were measured in the electron energy range from 0 to 9.5 eV with an electron energy resolution of about 120 meV. In contrast to previous studies additional negative ions, i.e., HCN- and NO-, were observed. Measures for the absolute partial cross sections were obtained for the ions using a calibration technique involving a comparison with the known cross section of the 0.8 eV peak in DEA to CCl4. The dominant negative ion product is NO2- with a cross section of approximately 11x10(-22) m(2) at 0.75 eV. The values of the cross section estimates for the other ions are about sigma(C2H3NO2-)=4x10(-24) m(2) at similar to0 eV, sigma(O-)=5x10(-24) m(2) at 5.7 eV, sigma(OH-)=2x10(-24) m(2) at 5.7 eV, sigma(CN-)=5x10(-25) m(2) at 1.7 eV, sigma(CNO-)=3x10(-25) m(2) at similar to4.5 eV, sigma(HCN-)=2x10(-25) m(2) at similar to4.5 eV and sigma(NO-)=3x10(-25) m(2) at similar to8 eV. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.