E942 - Nitrous Oxide

Leticia Celentano Author: Leticia Celentano Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022
E942 - Nitrous Oxide

CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)



Characteristic: Nitric oxide is a non-flammable colorless gas with a pleasant sweet taste and smell. In laboratory conditions, the additive E 942 is obtained by heating ammonium nitrate or nitric acid with

Characteristic

Nitric oxide is a non-flammable colorless gas with a pleasant sweet taste and odor. Under laboratory conditions, the additive E 942 is obtained by heating ammonium nitrate or nitric acid with sulfamic acid. The substance dissolves well in water, ether, ethyl alcohol, sulfuric acid. Although not flammable in itself, it has the property of supporting the combustion of other substances. In combination with cyclopropane, chloroethyl and ether it is explosive.

Use

In the food industry, nitric oxide is mainly used as a propellant in the production of whipped cream. For medical purposes, the substance is used in combination with other active substances for inhalation anesthesia, but is not used alone because it has no analgesic effect.

In industry, E 942 is used as a packaging gas and propellant. It improves the technical characteristics of the production of internal combustion engines. In rocket engines it is used as an oxidizer.

Impact on humans

Inhalation of small amounts of nitric oxide causes cheerfulness, intoxication, drowsiness. This is the reason for the appearance of its name "merry gas" ("paradise gas"). Getting pure concentrated gas into the airways can lead to a state of drug intoxication and asphyxia. Anesthesia containing the supplement E 942 is contraindicated for people with severe diseases of the central nervous system, alcohol intoxication and those suffering from chronic alcoholism, because the use of gas can cause excessive agitation, hallucinations.

The use of nitric oxide in the food industry does not pose a threat to human health because its concentration in products is extremely low.

More on the topic:
  • E941 Nitrogen
  • E172 Iron oxides and hydroxides
  • E529 Calcium oxide
  • E530 Magnesium oxide

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