N2O

The Watcher · Dream Team

Molecular weight- 44

Sp.Gr.- 1.527

Fuses at - [-100 Deg. C

Boils at- [-87 Deg. C.

Discovered in 1776 by Priestley...

Preparation:

By heating ammonium nitrate: (NH4)NO3 = N2O + 2 H2O

To obtain a pure product there should be no ammonium chloride present ( as an impurity in the ammonium nitrate) and the heat should be applied gradually as to not let the temperature rise above 250 Deg. C. and the gas formed should be passed through wash bottles containing sodium hydrate and ferrous sulphate.

Physiological:

Although owing to the readiness with which N2O is decomposed into its constituent elements and the nature and relative proportions of these elements, it is capable of maintaining respiration longer than any other gas except oxygen or air, an animal will live for a short time only in an atmosphere of pure N2O.

When inhaled, diluted with air, it produces the effects first observed by Davy in 1799, first an exhilaration of spirits, frequently accompanied by laughter, and a tendency to muscular activity, the person sometimes becomes aggressive and later there is complete anesthesia and loss of consciousness. In one or two instances anesthesia has been maintained by its use for nearly an hour.