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
The Laughing Man (short story) The Laughing Man (short story) "The Laughing Man" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, published originally in "The New Yorker" on March 19, 1949; and also in Salinger’s short story collection "Nine Stories". It largely takes the structure of a story within a story and is thematically occupied with the relationship between narrative and narrator, and the end of youth. The story is inspired by the Victor Hugo novel of the same name: "The Man Who Laughs" ("L'homme qui rit"). An unnamed narrator recounts his experiences as a nine-year-old member of the Comanche Club in New York City