Step 1 : Introduction to the question "What is the scientific name for laughing gas?"
...Nitrous oxide (N2O) or laughing gas as it is commonly known was first synthesized by Joseph Priestley in 1772. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slight metallic scent and taste. Nitrous oxide has significant medical uses, especially in surgery and dentistry, for its anesthetic and pain reducing effects. Its name "laughing gas", coined by Humphry Davy, is due to the euphoric effects upon inhaling it. Inhalation of nitrous oxide is used frequently to relieve pain associated with childbirth, trauma, and oral surgery.