Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide is a gas with the chemical formula N2O. It is found naturally in the air. It is also made artificially, because it has many uses. It is the third most important greenhouse gas.[1][2] Because it is a greenhouse gas, people are trying to use it less.
Uses
Nitrous oxide is used by doctors and dentists to reduce pain. In the body, it makes people feel happy. For this reason it is also called "laughing gas". It is sometimes used only to feel happy, like an illegal drug.
Nitrous oxide is used in high performance cars to increase the power of their engines. When it is used this way, it is usually called "nitrous" or "NOS".
Nitrous oxide can also be used in aerosol spray cans, especially for foods like whipped cream. This is because it has a sweet taste and is not toxic, and also makes the whipped cream more fluffy.
Nitrous Oxide Media
Food-grade N2O whipped-cream chargers
Medical-grade N2O tanks used in dentistry
Aquatint depiction of a laughing gas party in the nineteenth century, by Thomas Rowlandson
Street sign indicating ban of nitrous oxide use near the Poelestraat in Groningen
Whippit remnants (the small steel canisters) of recreational drug use, the Netherlands, 2017
Satirical cartoon showing a Royal Institution demonstration of Laughing Gas with Humphry Davy and Count Rumford, entitled "Living Made Easy" and subtitled "Prescription for Scolding Wives"
Sir Humphry Davy's Researches chemical and philosophical: chiefly concerning nitrous oxide (1800), pages 556 and 557 (right), outlining potential anaesthetic properties of nitrous oxide in relieving pain during surgery
Nitrous oxide atmospheric concentration since 1978
References
- ↑ "Chapter 8". AR5 Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. pp. 677–678.
- ↑ "Nitrous oxide emissions pose an increasing climate threat, study finds" (in en). phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-nitrous-oxide-emissions-pose-climate.html. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
