Nitrous oxide commonly known as "laughing gas", due to the happy effects of inhaling it. N2O has been used since long period to relieve pain and anxiousness during medical procedures. This gas had been known since 1793. But it came into medicinal use for anesthetic purposes in 1844 when a dentist Mr. Horace Wells tried it on himself while having a tooth extracted.


Nitrous oxide is a compound with the chemical formula N2O. At standard temperature and pressure, N2O is a colorless, non-flammable gas with a pleasant and slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in dental treatment and surgery for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is also used in motor racing as an oxidizer to increase the power output of engines. It acts as a boosting power in Racing cars.

Properties of N₂O

• Nitrous oxide deactivates the cobalamin form of vitamin B12 by oxidation. Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, including myelopathy, encephalopathy and sensory neuropathy, can occur within days or weeks of exposure to nitrous oxide anesthesia in people with subclinical vitamin B12 deficiency. Symptoms are handled with high doses of vitamin B12, but recovery can be slow and incomplete.
  
  
• Compressed nitrous oxide is usually stored at room temperature, but as the gas expands it quickly cools to sub-zero temperatures via the Joule-Thomson Effect. A leak or unexpected release of compressed nitrous oxide can result in an immediate and severe burn.

Manufacturing process of N₂O

• Nitrous oxide is commonly prepared by deliberate heating of ammonium nitrate, which decomposes into nitrous oxide and water vapor.
  
  NH₄NO₃(s) = 2 H₂O(g) + N₂O(g)
  
  
• Nitrous oxide can be made by heating a solution of sulfamic acid and nitric acid. A lot of gas was made this way in Bulgaria.
  
  HNO₃ + NH₂SO₃H = N₂O + H₂SO₄ + H₂O
  
  
• Hydroxyl ammonium chloride can react with sodium nitrite to produce N2O as well
  
  NH₃OH + Cl- + NaNO₂ = N₂O + NaCl + H₂O

Uses of N₂O
Ï Nitrous oxide has been used recreationally as an inhalant, because it causes euphoria and slight delusions. Ï It acts as a boost for racing cars. Ï Nitrous oxide can also be used in a monopropellant rocket Ï The gas is approved for use as a food additive, specifically as an aerosol spray propellant Ï Nitrous oxide can be used as an oxidizer in a rocket motor. Ï It is also used as an Anesthetics. Ï Nitrous oxide is relatively non-polar, has a low molecular weight, and high lipid solubility. As a result it can quickly diffuse into phospho-lipid cell membranes.