N2O
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Chemistry
| Stands for | Nitrous oxide |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
N2O stands for Nitrous oxide, a chemistry abbreviation also used in medicine.
Sweet-smelling gas known as laughing gas, used as a mild anesthetic in dentistry and childbirth, as the propellant in whipped-cream chargers and as a power booster in racing engines. It is also a long-lived greenhouse gas and the largest ozone-depleting emission of this century, mostly from fertilized soils.
Example: The dentist adjusted the N2O and oxygen mix until the patient felt relaxed.
Usage notes
Joseph Priestley first prepared it in 1772, and Humphry Davy described its euphoric effects in 1800. Recreational inhalation can cause vitamin B12 deficiency and nerve damage, and the UK made possession for recreational use illegal in 2023. Its warming effect is roughly 270 times that of carbon dioxide over 100 years.