Characteristics

• Nitrous oxide is made up of two nitrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom, or N2O. It is 37 percent heavier than air and will dissolve in water, alcohol, ether, sulfuric acid, fats and oils. It liquefies at minus 127 degrees Fahrenheit. It is non-flammable at room temperature but breaks down and releases oxygen at temperatures above 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The gas is 38 percent oxygen by weight.
  
  Nitrous oxide is the only gas besides oxygen that can enhance combustion. For this reason, nitrous oxide should be kept well away from aluminum, boron, hydrazine, lithium hydride, phenyllithium, phosphine, sodium, tungsten carbide, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, organic peroxides, ammonia and carbon monoxide. It can combine explosively with these materials.
  
  

Nitrous Human Effects

• Nitrous oxide has anesthetic effects on humans at atmospheric concentrations between 50 percent and 67 percent. At higher concentrations, however, it can suffocate a human. Frequent exposure to high concentrations for long periods can impair bone marrow function, slow down reaction time and impair ability to concentrate. Symptoms of acute overexposure at 40 percent to 80 percent concentrations include dizziness, difficulty breathing, headache, nausea and fatigue. Symptoms of chronic exposure to lower levels include tingling, numbness, difficulty walking, spontaneous abortion or premature births.
  
  

Nitrous Uses

• Nitrous oxide is popular as a dental anesthetic because it allows patients to remain conscious and relaxed but pain free. Also, its effects dissipate quickly when the gas is turned off. In addition to being a dental anesthetic, nitrous oxide is used as the propellant and foaming agent in whipped cream dispensers, as a leak-detecting agent in natural gas pipelines, as an oxidant in chemical reactions to produce organic compounds, as an oxidizer in solid rocket fuels and as an agent to make nitrates from alkaline metals.
  
  

Automotive Uses

• Nitrous oxide's ability to enhance combustion makes it popular with motor vehicle performance enthusiasts. Auto parts suppliers sell kits for injecting nitrous oxide into the engines of autos, motorcycles, snowmobiles and boats. Installing the kits involves retuning the engine to feed more gasoline into the engine when the driver activates the nitrous oxide booster on the engine. The nitrous burns the additional gasoline, producing more power. Nitrous can add 100 or more horsepower to an engine that normally produces 350 horsepower. A typical 10 lb. nitrous bottle can provide two minutes of power boost but most boosts are only for a few seconds, such as in drag racing.