To evaluate candidate adsorbents for the recovery of nitrous oxide (N2O) from adipic acid off-gases, the equilibrium and kinetics of N2O and O-2 adsorption on activated carbon (AC) and of N2O, O-2, and N-2 adsorption on a carbon molecular sieve (CMS) were evaluated at 293, 308, and 323 K under pressures up to 1000 kPa using a high-pressure volumetric system. Adsorption amount of N2O on AC and CMS exceeded those of N-2 and O-2, and the adsorption isotherms for O-2 and N-2 were similar. The experimental N2O and O-2 uptakes on AC and CMS were fitted to a non-isothermal adsorption model, whereas the model was ineffective for predicting N-2 uptake on CMS. The isothermal dual-resistance model, considering surface barrier resistance and pore diffusion, adequately predicted N-2 uptake on CMS. The rate of adsorption of N2O on AC was much lower than that of O-2 and N-2 whereas the rate of adsorption on CMS flowed the order: O-2 > N2O >> N-2, even though N2O has higher adsorption affinity and smaller kinetic diameter than O-2. The Lewis structure of N2O was also found to influence the adsorption kinetics.