Types and uses
Types of nitrous oxide: medical, culinary and technical
Short answer
Nitrous oxide is dinitrogen monoxide (N₂O), a colourless gas. Hospitals use it for pain relief and anaesthesia, kitchens use it as a propellant for whipped cream, and industry uses it in engines and processes. Each use has its own quality standards and rules. Recreational use is banned in the Netherlands.
- Chemical name
- Dinitrogen monoxide
- Formula
- N₂O
- CAS number
- 10024-97-2
Medical nitrous oxide
Used for pain relief and anaesthesia, always mixed with oxygen and supervised by professionals. It is a medicine and must meet pharmaceutical quality standards.
Culinary nitrous oxide
Used as a propellant in whipped-cream dispensers, usually in small steel chargers. As a food additive it falls under the exception in Article 15a of the Dutch Opium Act Decree. According to the RIVM, these small chargers have largely disappeared from the streets, replaced by large disposable cylinders.
Technical nitrous oxide
Used, among other things, to add power to combustion engines and in industrial processes. It is not intended for human consumption.
The label doesn’t make it legal
The exceptions depend on what the gas is meant for. A cylinder labelled ‘culinary’ that is intended for inhaling is covered by the ban.
Sources
- 01
- 02
Staatsblad 2022, 461
Besluit van 17 november 2022 tot wijziging van het Opiumwetbesluit en lijst II (lachgas)23 November 2022accessed 31 October 2026Read in full
- 03
Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG)
Factsheet landelijk lachgasverbod4 September 2024accessed 31 October 2026Read in full
- 04
RIVM — Coördinatiepunt Assessment en Monitoring nieuwe drugs (CAM)
Notitie: Stand van zaken omtrent lachgas (2019–2025)2 March 2026accessed 31 October 2026Read in full
General information, not personal legal or medical advice. In an emergency, call 112.