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Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula N2O. It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as a dissociative anesthetic. It is also used as an oxidizer in rocketry and in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidizer similar to molecular oxygen.

Nitrous oxide gives rise to NO (nitric oxide) on reaction with oxygen atoms, and this NO in turn reacts with ozone. As a result, it is the main naturally occurring regulator of stratospheric ozone. It is also a major greenhouse gas and air pollution. Considered over a 100 year period, it has 298 times more impact 'per unit weight' (Global warming potential) than carbon dioxide.

Gases consisting of one molecule of nitrogen and varying numbers of oxygen molecules. Nitrogen oxides are by-products of combustion processes and are commonly found in the automobile exhaust and emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants. NOx is a greenhouse gas and is an ingredient of acid rain and smog.