Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or NOS, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula N2O. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, and has a slightly sweet scent and taste. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidizer similar to molecular oxygen.
Nitrous oxide has significant medical uses, especially in surgery and dentistry, for its anaesthetic and pain reducing effects. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. It is also used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants, and in motor racing to increase the power output of engines.
Properties of Nitrous Oxide
| Chemical formula | N2O |
| Molar mass | 44.013 g/mol |
| Appearance | colourless gas |
| Density | 1.977 g/L (gas) |
| Melting point | −90.86 °C (−131.55 °F; 182.29 K) |
| Boiling point | −88.48 °C (−127.26 °F; 184.67 K) |
| Solubility in water | 1.5 g/L (15 °C) |
| Solubility | soluble in alcohol, ether, sulfuric acid |
| log P | 0.35 |
| Vapor pressure | 5150 kPa (20 °C) |
| Magnetic susceptibility (χ) | −18.9·10−6 cm3/mol |
| Refractive index (nD) | 1.000516 (0 °C, 101,325 kPa) |
| Viscosity | 14.90 μPa·s |
