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Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide (also called dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide, or sometimes laughing gas) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula N₂O. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste. more...

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It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is commonly known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its non-medical use as an inhalant drug. It is also used in motor racing as an oxidizer to increase the power output of engines. Often it is incorrectly referred to as "NOS," referencing a manufacturer of automotive nitrous oxide equipment, Nitrous Oxide Systems.

Uses

Inhalant effects

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a dissociative drug that can cause analgesia, depersonalization, derealization, dizziness, euphoria, sound distortion and slight hallucinations. Extreme overuse over a long period of time can also cause brain damage.

In medicine

Previously, nitrous oxide was typically administered by dentists through a demand-valve inhaler over the nose that only releases gas when the patient inhales through the nose; full-face masks are not commonly used by dentists, so that the patient's mouth can be worked on while the patient continues to inhale the gas. Current use involves constant supply flowmeters which allow the proportion of nitrous oxide and the combined gas flow rate to be individually adjusted. The masks still obviously cover only the nose.

Because nitrous oxide is minimally metabolized, it retains its potency when exhaled into the room by the patient and can pose an intoxicating and prolonged-exposure hazard to the clinic staff if the room is poorly ventilated. Where nitrous oxide is administered, a continuous-flow fresh-air ventilation system or nitrous-scavenging system is used, to prevent waste gas buildup.

Nitrous oxide is a weak general anesthetic, and so is generally not used alone in general anaesthesia. In general anesthesia it is used as a carrier gas in a 2:1 ratio with oxygen for more powerful general anesthetic agents such as sevoflurane or desflurane. It has a MAC (minimum alveolar concentration) of 105% and a blood:gas partition coefficient of 0.46. Less than 0.004% is metabolised in humans.

Recreational use

Since the earliest uses of nitrous oxide for medical or dental purposes, it has also been used recreationally as an inhalant, because it causes euphoria and slight hallucinations. Only a small number of recreational users (such as dental office workers or medical gas technicians) have legal access to pure nitrous oxide canisters that are intended for medical or dental use. Most recreational users obtain nitrous oxide from compressed gas containers which use nitrous oxide as a propellant for whipped cream or from automotive nitrous systems. Automotive nitrous available to the public sometimes has ~100 ppm Sulfur dioxide added to prevent recreational use/abuse; (not hydrogen sulfide as suggested by ). Inhalation of such a mixture is nearly impossible after one breath due to gagging and sooner or later, involuntary clamping off of the trachea; (some with "sulfate" allergies could even die due to allergic reaction).