Nitrogen – Key Element in the Living Beings

Nitrogen among other elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus, contributes as a major primary nutrient for an organism’s survival due to its presence in many biomolecules like proteins, chlorophyll and most importantly in DNA. Although nitrogen is present abundantly in the atmosphere (approximately 78%) but in an inaccessible form for biological entities. Hence, making this a limiting factor for nitrogen uptake, causing a scarcity among living beings.

Only when dinitrogen gas (N₂) is converted to ammonia (NH₃) by microbes, which can be easily taken up by the plants (primary producer) to produce sugar and other nutrient resources. To overcome the challenge of conversion from inorganic form ( e.g. nitrate, nitrous oxide, ammonia) to organic forms (e.g. nucleic acids, and proteins), the nitrogen goes through many biological and natural transformation processes like nitrification, nitrogen fixation, denitrification, ammonification, and ammonax. In this article, we will explore one such process of biologically accessible inert nitrogen extraction from the atmosphere.