Chemistry Project

1. Nitrous Oxide
By Alex McQuain

2. Basics
• Nitrous Oxide, more commonly known as
laughing gas, was discovered by Joseph
Preistly (Davenport 1).
• It became a very common anesthetic and
it still is today.
• There are many other uses for Nitrous
Oxide including propellant in whipped
cream and an oxidizing agent in racecars
(General 1).

3. The Molecule
• Nitrous Oxide is not very polar, which allows it to
dissolve in fats and water easily (General 1).
• Companies that commercially produce it typically
do so by gently heating ammonium nitrate to
yield water and nitrous oxide.
• These are the two most important resonance structures
(General 1).

4. Use as a sedative
• Laughing gas is actually a mix
of 70% oxygen and 30%
Nitrous Oxide (Dental 2).
• Affects the patient in less than
5 minutes.
• No ill affects after use (Dental
1,4).
• Creates Euphoria within the
patient.
• Stages of Sedation
• 1.Tingling sensation.
• 2. Followed by a warm feeling.
• 3. Feeling of well-being,
hearing may dissolve into
electronic throbbing.
• 4. Sleepiness, Nausea sets in,
dream can occur (Dental 2).

5. Use as a propellant
• Nitrous oxide is often used as a whipped
cream propellant because it dissolves
readily in fats (General 1).
• It also foams and dissolves at release of
pressure.

6. Use as an oxidizing agent
• Supports combustion better than regular air
(General 2).
• Molecule breaks at low temperature leaving pure
oxygen and nitrogen in the engine.
• Boosts horsepower up to 50%.

7. Dangers
• Nitrous oxide is very useful, but it has
setbacks.
• It can lead to a major explosion if used
improperly in car engines (Davenport 3).
• When the gas expands, temperatures
plummet and it can cause frostbite
(General 2).

8. • Works Cited
Davenport, Derek. Nitrous Oxide: By No
Means a Laughing Matter. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
Print.
Dental Fear Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Apr. 2013. <
http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/help/sedation
>.
General Chemistry Online. N.p., n.d. Web.
11 Apr. 2013. <
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/
>.