Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-25
LAUGHING GAS FOR TOOTH PULLING
Dentist Gives Some Points About Its
Manufacture and Application.

A Dentist Gives Some Points About Its
Manufacture and Application.
Il inhaie about twenty gallons of laughing
gas every day." New York Nail and Erpres.
man was told BY a surgeon dentist who makes a
business of pulling teeth. "No, l don't do il
for pleasure. but for the purpose of showing
patients how to take it. Tho important thing
is to initiate the lungs with few big breatha
from the gas bag; then complete unconscious
ness supervenes and no pain whatever is felt
On the contrary. the dreams of persons under
the influence Of nitrous oxide are usually most
agreeable.
That enormous bag like n balloon which
you saw dragged into the Office few minutes
ago is filled with laughing gas. 1t is made OF
canvas coated with rubber and holds 200 gal.
Ions. That quantity suffces for only about
twenty-five patients, because they waste a
good deal from not knowing how to take it.
The stun does not cost much to manufacture,
however. 1t is made from nitrate of ammo.
MIA. which is salt obtained by boiling am
monia IN nitric acid. We buy it in granu-
lated'shape, and all that is necessary in order
to get the gas from it is to boil it in water.
In the laboratory we put five or six pounds of
it into long-necked flask beneath which is a
lighted Bunsen burner. The flame is very hot,
because atmospheric air is rapidly supplied
to it.
1.-The nitrate of ammonia salt is melted in
the flask and the gas that it gives off by evapo-
ration passes over through tube into a sealed
jar partly filled with water. Bubbling up
through the water it passes through another
tube into second water jar and so through
four Jars successfully. Being thus passed
through water several times 1t is perfectly pu-
rifed. When first generated it contains q good
deal OF impurity, especially oxide of iron. which
comes from the iron vessels in which the am
MONA was boiled with nitrate acid. But all
impurities are removed in the manner have
described and the nitrous oxide finally rose
through pipe into a great metal tank. The
tank 10 composed OK two big cylinders, one partly
filled with water and the other set upside down
inside OF the first. II you will take q tall tum-
bier and invert it inside Of another tall tumbler
that il slightly bigger, and which has some wa
ter in it, you will have the idea exactly
"The expansive power OF the gas 10 so great
that 1t lifts the inside cylinder steadily out OF
the nitrous oxide from escaping. When the
tank Ia filed the operator knows it BY the
height to which the cylinder ia elevated. To
I'LL one OF these huge rubber bags with the gas
he simply draws the gas off from the tank into
the bag until the latter il completely inflated
and can hold no more. By making our own
gas IN this way we can always be sure TO have
1t perfectly pure and fresh, which ia q very i'm
portant thing. inasmuch as gas which contains
impurities Is necessarily unwholesome and il
must be fresh in order to be good. The great
manufacturers Of dental supplies put up
nitrous oxide in cylinders for the use Of dentists
under pressure Of ESQ pounds to the square
inch, 30 that . small receptacle viii hold quite
large supply, but kept in this shape for an
indefinite time and for only occasional use it d
apt to deteriorsta"