Chemical Properties of Nitrogen
| Group | 15 | Melting point | −210.0°C, −346.0°F, 63.2 K |
| Period | 2 | Boiling point | −195.795°C, −320.431°F, 77.355 K |
| Block | p | Density (g cm−3) | 0.001145 |
| Atomic number | 7 | Relative atomic mass | 14.007 |
| State at 20°C | Gas | Key isotopes | 14N |
| Electron configuration | [He] 2s22p3 | CAS number | 7727-37-9 |
| ChemSpider ID | 20473555 | ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database | |
What is Nitrogen?
- The seventh element of the periodic table between carbon and oxygen is nitrogen.
- It’s an important part of amino acids.
- Around eighty per cent of the Earth’s atmosphere comprises nitrogen gas.
- It has no colour, mostly diatomic non-metal gas which is odourless and colourless in nature.
- Since it has five electrons in its outer shell, most of its compounds are trivalent.
- It is a constituent of all living tissues. Since it is a component of DNA and part of a genetic code, it is an essential element of life.
- It is found in nitrates and nitrites in soil and water.
- All these substances are part of the nitrogen cycle and interconnected. Industrial companies emit nitrogen extensively, increasing nitrite and nitrate content in the ground and water, being the consequence of reactions in the nitrogen cycle.
Nitrogen Uses
- It is used in the manufacture of ammonia, to produce nitric acid and subsequently used as a fertilizer.
- Nitric acid salts include important compounds like potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, and nitric acid. Nitrated organic compounds such as nitro glycerine are often explosives.
- Liquid nitrogen is utilized as a refrigerant for transporting foodstuff and freezing purposes. Preservation of bodies and reproductive cells and stable storage of biological samples also makes use of liquid nitrogen.
- Nitrogen makes up 78 per cent of the Earth’s atmosphere and is a part of all living tissue. Nitrogen is a crucial ingredient of life since it is a constituent of DNA and as such is part of the genetic code.
- Nitrogen molecules often exist in the soil. Nitrogen can be present in nitrates and nitrites in water and in soil. These compounds are all part of the nitrogen cycle and both are interconnected.
Nitrogen Cycle
A cycle is a sequence of events or steps that repeats itself regularly. In the nitrogen cycle, nitrogen moves from the soil to plants and then to animals and finally back to the soil. When it returns to the soil from a decaying plant it can be used again by another plant.