Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Nitrous \Ni"trous\, a. [L. nitrosus full of natron: cf. F. nitreux. See Niter.]
Of, pertaining to, or containing, niter; of the quality of niter, or resembling it.
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(Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, any one of those compounds in which nitrogen has a relatively lower valence as contrasted with nitric compounds.
Nitrous acid (Chem.), a hypothetical acid of nitrogen HNO2, not known in the free state, but forming a well known series of salts, viz., the nitrites.
Nitrous oxide. See Laughing gas.
Wiktionary
n. (context inorganic compound English) A non-flammable gas (N2O) commonly used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects.
WordNet
n. inhalation anesthetic used as an anesthetic in dentistry and surgery [syn: laughing gas]
Wikipedia
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, nitro, or NOS is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless, non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects. It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as a dissociative anaesthetic. It is also used as an oxidiser in rocket propellants, and in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidizer similar to molecular oxygen.
Nitrous oxide gives rise to nitric oxide (NO) on reaction with oxygen atoms, and this NO in turn reacts with ozone. As a result, it is the main naturally occurring regulator of stratospheric ozone. It is also a major greenhouse gas and air pollutant. Considered over a 100-year period, it is calculated to have between 265 and 310 times more impact per unit mass ( global-warming potential) than carbon dioxide.
It is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a health system.
Nitrous oxide is a colorless, non-flammable gas, commonly known as laughing gas.
Nitrous oxide or Nitrous Oxide may also refer to:
- N2O: Nitrous Oxide, a video game
Usage examples of "nitrous oxide".
Once intubated, Luchesi was fed oxygen and nitrous oxide, a mild anesthetic.
The nitrous oxide hurt his lungs and this pain is also in chronic restimulation.
Of course, pure nitrous oxide will kill you in fifteen to thirty minutes.
There are standby cylinders of oxygen and nitrous oxide in the OR for emergency use.
At the canalside itself a particularly rowdy group were throwing ice shot-puts the size of cannonballs out into the canal, and very occasionally thumping one down on the grass of the far bank, which caused cheers and often a round of nitrous oxide for the house.
Alone, nitrous oxide would not provide sufficiently deep anesthe.
And without power those tricky mechanisms in the barn wouldn't slam the door behind the beast or release the nitrous oxide.
Davy might have done far more, but unfortunately as a young man he developed an abiding attachment to the buoyant pleasures of nitrous oxide.
She had protested his torture, Spencer had told him so, Spencer and all their hours of aerodynamics together, telling him over too many whiskeys how she had gone to the security chief in Kasei and demanded his release, his decent treatment, even after he had knocked her cold, almost killed her with nitrous oxide, lied to her in her own bed.