Nitrous oxide,is a chemical compound, with the formula N2O.
Nitrous oxide is used in rocket propellants, and in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. It is estimated that 30% of the N2O in the atmosphere is the result of human activity, chiefly agriculture.
Nitrous oxide has a significant global warming potential as greenhouse gas. On a per-molecule basis, considered over a 100-year period, nitrous oxide has 298 times the atmospheric heat-trapping ability of carbon dioxide (CO2). However, because of its low concentration (less than 1/1000 of that of CO2),its contribution to the greenhouse effect is very small, behind those of water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane.
Nitrous oxide is prepared on an industrial scale by careful heating of ammonium nitrate at about 250 C, which decomposes into nitrous oxide and water vapour.
NH4NO3 → 2 H2O + N2O
Most of the NO2 emitted into the atmosphere, from natural and anthropogenic sources, is produced by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi in soils and oceans. Soils under natural vegetation are an important source of nitrous oxide, accounting for 60% of all naturally produced emissions. Other natural sources include the oceans and atmospheric chemical reactions.
The main components of anthropogenic emissions are fertilized agricultural soils and livestock manure , runoff and leaching of fertilizers, biomass burning , fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes, biological degradation of other nitrogen-containing atmospheric emissions, and human sewage. Agriculture enhances nitrous oxide production through soil cultivation, the use of nitrogen fertilisers, and animal waste handling. These activities stimulate naturally occurring bacteria to produce more nitrous oxide.
Since N2O deplete the ozone layer by reacting with ozone (see below), it is a greenhouse gas that amplifies the amount of infrared rays being emitted to Earth from the Sun and hence plays a big part in the greenhouse effect as more infrared rays will be absorbed by the greenhouse gases resulting in more heat to be trapped.
