3 ms·

Same reason the O in CO2 isn't accessible. Oxygen is used as an oxidizer in the slow burn that is human respiration. N2O is already "burnt", so your body can't

Same reason the O in CO2 isn't accessible. Oxygen is used as an oxidizer in the slow burn that is human respiration. N2O is already "burnt", so your body can't burn it any further to release energy.

andrewflnr 4y ago
That contradicts "nitrous is an oxidant". Or at minimum, makes it more complicated.
- mnw21cam 4y ago
  Chlorine is an oxidising agent as well, but you don't want to be breathing that.
  - andrewflnr 4y ago
    Yes, but again, for rather the opposite reason than CO2.
cwkoss 4y ago
I believe nitrous oxide can act as an oxidizer, but cannot be used for respiration for a different reason than CO2 (already fully oxidized). But I'm not sure what that reason is: maybe the enzymatic capacity to pull the O off the N2 is just order(s) of magnitude too small or it has to go through NO metabolism.