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
Oxide dispersion-strengthened alloy ODS steel. This process seems simple but many parameters need to be carefully controlled to produce a well made alloy. Work by Leseigneur and coworkers has been done to carefully control some of these parameters in order to get more consistent and better microstructures in ODS steels. In this two step method the oxide is ball-milled for longer periods of time to ensure a homogeneous solid solution of the oxide in the metal matrix. Then the powder is annealed at higher temperatures to begin a controlled nucleation of the nano-oxide clusters. Finally the powder is again compressed and sintered to