Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas or nitrous, among others, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas or nitrous, among others, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula N2O. At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has a slightly sweet scent and flavour. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidiser similar to molecular oxygen. Nitrous oxide has signif Nitrous oxide has significant global warming potential as a greenhouse gas. On a per-molecule basis, considered over a 100-year period, nitrous oxide has 265 times the atmospheric heat-trapping ability of carbon dioxide (CO2). However, because of its low concentration (less than one thousandth of that of CO2), its contribution to the greenhouse effect is less than one third that of carbon dioxide, and also less than methane. On the other hand, since about 40% of the N2O entering the atmosphere is the result of human activity, control of nitrous oxide is part of efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Most human caused nitrous oxide released into the atmosphere is a…