Known to some as laughing gas and to some as ˜hippy crack the gas nitrous oxide – N2O, also known as dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide, is a colourless gas and one of the gas industrys major product lines. Commercially it is used extensively in the food sector as an aerosol propellant and by surgeons and dentists for its anesthetic effects. To the man on the street, however, it is most commonly known as ˜laughing gas- due to its ability to produce euphoria to those inhaling it.
Nitrous oxide was first discovered in 1793 by pioneering British scientist and clergyman Joseph Priestley. He is also credited with being the first to isolate other important gases such as oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ammonia and sulphur dioxide. Priestley was able to make N2O by heating ammonium nitrate in the presence of iron fillings, filtering the gas emitted through water to remove toxic by-products. Initially Priestley was unsure as to how his discovery might be applied to practical use; at first he hoped that it may be a preserving agent. However, this was quickly disproved and it was Sir Humphrey Davy of the Pneumatic Institute in Bristol, England who learnt the full extent of N2Os physical properties.
Davy learnt of its affects on human respiration when he administered purified N2O to himself, visitors and friends (including the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey). Davy was the first to note its euphoric and anaesthetic properties and coined the term ˜laughing gas. Ironically it was the inhalation of N2O as well as other gases that Davy made his name exploring that eventually led to Davys premature death.
Despite Davys observations of N2Os potential medical benefits for the next 40 years its use was largely restricted to recreational purposes. In fact N2O became the 19th centurys drug of choice for social gatherings of the wealthy classes, particularly amongst the dignitaries and elite of Bristol, England. The public were also able to buy a minutes worth of nitrous oxide from travelling medicine shows and carnivals known as ˜nitrous oxide capers. Upon inhaling the gas people would become relaxed, have laughing fits and behave uncontrollably until the drug suddenly wore off. People would then be abruptly left standing around in confusion.
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