nitrous oxide

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nitrous oxide (ny-trŭs) n. a colourless gas used as an anaesthetic with good analgesic properties, administered by inhalation during surgery in combination with oxygen and other agents for the maintenance of anaesthesia. A mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen (Entonox, Equanox) is administered for some dental procedures and in childbirth. Because it tends to excite the patient when used alone, nitrous oxide was formerly known popularly as laughing gas. Formula: N2O.

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