What is Nitrogen? | Types, Definition, Structure, Function & Facts

What is Nitrogen?

Nitrogen is the 1st element in column 15th of the periodic table. It belongs to the group of “other” non-metallic elements. The nitrogen atom has seven electrons and seven protons with five electrons in its outermost shell. Nitrogen runs as an important role in the life of plants and animals on Earth through the nitrogen cycle.

Characteristics and Properties

Under normal conditions nitrogen is a colorless, tasteless and odorless gas. It forms diatomic molecules, which means there are two nitrogen atoms per molecule in nitrogen gas (N2). In this configuration, nitrogen is very inert, which means it usually does not react with other compounds.

Nitrogen becomes liquid at -210.00 degrees Celsius. Liquid nitrogen looks like water.

Common compounds with nitrogen atoms include ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrite, and nitrate. Nitrogen is also found in organic compounds such as amines, amides, and nitro groups.

Highlights of Nitrogen:

Where is Nitrogen found on Earth?

Although we often refer to the air we breathe as “oxygen”, the most common element in our air is nitrogen. Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen or N2.

Although there is a lot of nitrogen in the air, there is very little in the earth’s crust. It is found in some rather rare minerals such as saltpeter.

Nitrogen can also be found in all living things on Earth, including plants and animals. It plays an important role in proteins and nucleic acids.

How is Nitrogen used today?

The main industrial use of nitrogen is in the production of ammonia. The process by which nitrogen is used to make ammonia is known as the Haber process in which nitrogen and hydrogen are combined to produce NH3 (ammonia). Ammonia is then used to make fertilizers, nitric acid, and explosives.

Many explosives contain nitrogen such as TNT, nitroglycerine, and gunpowder.

Some of the uses of nitrogen gas include preserving fresh foods, producing stainless steel, reducing the risk of fire, and being part of incandescent bulb gas.

Liquid nitrogen is used as a refrigerant to keep things cool. It is also used in cryopreservation of biological and blood samples. Scientists often use liquid nitrogen when performing science experiments at low temperatures.

How was Nitrogen discovered?

Nitrogen was first isolated by Scottish chemist Daniel Rutherford in 1772. He called the gas “noxious air.”

Where did Nitrogen get its name?

Nitrogen was named by French chemist Jean-Antoine Chaptal in 1790. He named it after the mineral pepper when he discovered that pepper contains gas. Niter is also known as saltpeter or potassium nitrate.

Isotopes

There are two stable isotopes of nitrogen: nitrogen-14 and nitrogen-15. More than 99% of the nitrogen in the universe is nitrogen-14.

Interesting Facts about Nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen is very cold and will instantly freeze skin on contact, causing severe damage and frostbite.

It is thought to be about the seventh most abundant element in the universe by mass.

Nitrogen is the fourth most abundant element in the human body by mass. It makes up about three percent of the mass of the human body.

It is created deep inside stars by a process called fusion.

Nitrogen plays an important role in DNA molecules.