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
Dihydrogen bond a protic acid and the borane end is hydridic. The resulting B−HH−N attractions stabilize the molecule as a solid. In contrast, the related substance ethane, HCCH, is a gas with a boiling point 285 °C lower. Because two hydrogen centers are involved, the interaction is termed a dihydrogen bond. Formation of a dihydrogen bond is assumed to precede formation of H from the reaction of a hydride and a protic acid. A very short dihydrogen bond is observed in NaBH·2HO with H−H contacts of 1.79, 1.86, and 1.94 Å. Protonation of transition metal hydride complexes is generally thought to occur