Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a colorless gas used in medicine and as a propellant. It is also a long-lived greenhouse gas and an ozone-depleting substance.
NMDA receptor: A glutamate-gated ion channel involved in synaptic signaling, learning, and pain transmission. Nitrous oxide inhibits these receptors, contributing to analgesia and anesthesia.
Nitrous oxide anesthesia: The use of inhaled nitrous oxide to provide analgesia and supplement general anesthesia. This is the gas’s long-standing clinical use, often alongside oxygen and other anesthetics.
Joseph Priestley: An English chemist and theologian who isolated and studied several gases in the eighteenth century. Priestley prepared and described nitrous oxide in 1772.
Global warming potential: A measure comparing the heat trapped by a greenhouse gas with that trapped by carbon dioxide over a specified period. Nitrous oxide has a very high 100-year warming potential relative to carbon dioxide.
Nitric oxide: A reactive signaling molecule, NO, that also participates in atmospheric chemistry and air pollution. Nitric oxide and nitrous oxide have different formulas, biological roles, and atmospheric behavior.
GABA receptor: A receptor activated by gamma-aminobutyric acid that reduces neuronal activity. Nitrous oxide also modulates inhibitory signaling through some GABA receptors.
Dental sedation: A method of reducing anxiety and discomfort during dental treatment, often using inhaled nitrous oxide and oxygen. Nitrous oxide’s rapid onset and recovery make it useful for outpatient dental procedures.
Humphry Davy: A British chemist whose experiments with gases helped establish modern electrochemistry and chemical research. Davy investigated nitrous oxide’s effects and proposed its use in surgery.
Agricultural emissions: Air pollutants and greenhouse gases released by farming activities, including livestock and soil management. Agricultural soils are the largest human-driven source of nitrous oxide emissions.
Nitrogen dioxide: A reddish-brown, reactive nitrogen oxide produced mainly by combustion and involved in air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide is toxic and short-lived, unlike the colorless, persistent gas nitrous oxide.