Nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or nitrous, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, with a slight metallic scent and taste. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidizer similar to molecular oxygen. It is soluble in water. Nitrous oxide has significant medical uses, especially in surgery and dentistry, for its anaesthetic and pain reducing effects. Its name "laughing gas", coined by Humphry Davy, is due to the euphoric effects upon inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational
Ethylene oxide oxide with compounds containing active methylene group leads to the formation of butyrolactones: Ethylene oxide enters into the Friedel–Crafts reaction with benzene to form phenethyl alcohol: Styrene can be obtained in one stage if this reaction is conducted at elevated temperatures () and pressures (), in presence of an aluminosilicate catalyst. A series of polynomial heterocyclic compounds, known as crown ethers, can be synthesized with ethylene oxide. One method is the cationic cyclopolymerization of ethylene oxide, limiting the size of the formed cycle: To suppress the formation of other linear polymers the reaction is carried out in a highly dilute