Nitrogen is a chemical element that is symbolized by the letter N and has 7 as an atomic number. It is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, and is present in 80% of the air in the atmosphere in its molecular version. It is a very important element for living organisms, although there is hardly any nitrogen in the earth’s crust, hence there are only a few natural deposits of this gas in the world.
It was discovered in 1772 by Daniel Rutherford, a prestigious Scottish botanist. He was the first to observe that when a mouse was enclosed in an airtight bottle , it would die quickly after consuming all available oxygen. When CO2 is removed from the container, only nitrogen remains, a noxious air.
Nitrogen properties
It is made up of N2 molecules and its melting point is minus 210 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, its boiling point under normal conditions is 196 degrees Celsius. It is a very unreactive molecule due to the strong triple bond between nitrogen atoms.
Cycle of nitrogen
The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical cycle whose main characteristic is the passage of gas through different biological and chemical changes on planet Earth, which allow it to remain constant. The cycle repeats itself over and over: it goes from air to ground, and then back to air.
It is a complex cycle, in which nitrogen passes through the different organisms until it returns to the atmosphere .
Fun facts
To understand what it is in chemistry, you have to look at the periodic table created by Mendeleev . It is represented by the symbol N and is in group 15, period 2. Its atomic number is 7, so there are seven protons in each of the nitrogen atoms.
It is a non-metallic element , so it is not a good conductor of heat or electricity. In addition, like the rest of non-metals, it cannot be rolled or stretched because it is weak.
Commercially, ammonia is the best-selling form of nitrogen of all. It is made from a steam reaction to generate hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Many nitrogen compounds are made from ammonia.
