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Nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide is commonly known as “laughing gas” or N2O.  While it has been used as a medical anesthetic (and for other medical purposes since the late 1700s), nitrous oxide is often known better for its presence in internal combustion engines and rocket motors (where it has earned the affectionate nickname “nitrous.”).

Rockets motors were the first to use nitrous oxide as an oxidizer for its fuel.  There are many advantages in nitrous oxide when it comes to fueling a rocket, with the non-toxic nature and the stability when at normal temperatures just being a few of them.  The idea has been linked to the engineer Robert Goddard, who is called the “American pioneer of rocketing.”

For internal combustion engines (like those seen in racing) we have the same sort of concept.  The Nitrous, or NOS (nitrous oxide systems) allow the engine to burst into a more intense combustion series.  Since the gas is not flammable, this may seem odd, but the nature of the gas allows it to deliver more oxygen than standard air when you're looking at the high temperatures common in racing.  The technique was actually used first in wartimes by the aircraft known as the Lutwaffe, which used this as a boost accelerant.

There are some issues with using nitrous in racing, however, since a reciprocating engine can potentially produce enough power to destroy the engine's mechanical structure, so the force of the boost can actually damage the engineering.