{"id":347,"date":"2020-04-09T11:16:06","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T11:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=347"},"modified":"2023-08-15T11:12:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T11:12:49","slug":"nitrogen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/nitrogen\/","title":{"rendered":"Nitrogen (N)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nitrogen (Azote) is a chemical element with atomic number 7 in the periodic table. It\u2019s the most abundant element on Earth. Nitrogen naturally occurs in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere, crust, mantle, core, as well as in oceans. In Earth\u2019s crust, this substance is present in the form of a <\/span>liquid metal<\/span><\/i>, while in the atmosphere nitrogen and its compounds occur in the form of a gas. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a member of the nitrogen family of periodic table elements, this <\/span>pnictogen<\/span><\/i> has three valence electrons that help nitrogen make numerous compounds with the other chemical elements. Nitrogen has a wide application in medicine, pharmacy, and many industrial branches. Like oxygen<\/a>, carbon<\/a>, and hydrogen<\/a>, nitrogen gas (N) is one of the elements that support life on Earth and makes it possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Nitrogen<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Symbol of Nitrogen<\/td>N<\/td><\/tr>
Name<\/td>Nitrogen<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>7<\/td><\/tr>
Group of Nitrogen<\/td>Non-Metal<\/td><\/tr>
Crystal Structure of Nitrogen<\/td>Hexagonal<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight (mass)<\/td>14.00674<\/td><\/tr>
Shells of Nitrogen<\/td>2,5<\/td><\/tr>
Orbitals of Nitrogen<\/td>[He] 2s2 2p3<\/td><\/tr>
Valence of Nitrogen<\/td>3,5<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>A colorless nonmetal gaseous substance<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>A gas at room temperature<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From around 200 yoctoseconds to 9.965 minutes<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>3.04<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>0.0012506 g\/cm\u00b3<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>63.18<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>77.35<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>0.092 nm<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>1.71 (-3) \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Covalent Radius of Nitrogen<\/td>0.75 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Radius of Nitrogen<\/td>0.75 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Volume of Nitrogen<\/td>17.3 cm\u00b3\/mol<\/td><\/tr>
Name Origin of Nitrogen<\/td>Greek: nitron and genes, (soda forming)<\/td><\/tr>
Discovered By<\/td>Daniel Rutherford<\/td><\/tr>
Year<\/td>1772<\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/td>Scotland<\/td><\/tr>
Pronounced of Nitrogen<\/td>NYE-treh-gen<\/td><\/tr>
Oxydation States of Nitrogen<\/td>(\u00b13),5,4,\u00b12,\u00b11<\/td><\/tr>
Uses of Nitrogen<\/td>Primarily to produce ammonia and other fertilizers. Also used in making nitric acid, which is used in explosives. Also used in welding and enhanced oil recovery<\/td><\/tr>
Description of Nitrogen<\/td>Colorless, odorless, tasteless gas; pale blue liquid. Third most abundant element in the universe. It is the most abundant element in the earth’s crust, and makes up almost 21% of the atmosphere<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol N, atomic number 7, atomic mass of 14.0067 g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span>, and electron configuration [He] 2s2<\/span>2<\/span>p<\/span>3<\/span>, nitrogen is a volatile, colorless, odorless, and tasteless diatomic gas. It reaches its boiling point at -195.8\u00b0C, while the melting point is achieved at -210\u00b0C. This member of the nitrogen family of elements has an electronegativity of 3.0 according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.092 nm. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond in N<\/span>2 <\/span>molecules is one of the strongest molecular bonds in chemistry. The N-N triple bond between the nitrogen atoms releases enormous energy and assigns the explosive properties of nitrogen when this gaseous substance is formed as a result of various chemical reactions. In addition, the explosive properties are most characteristic for the NO<\/span>x<\/span> compounds, or nitrogen oxides.        <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its liquified form, nitrogen possesses strong cryogenic properties. Liquid nitrogen (LN2) is colorless, odorless, nonflammable, and extremely cold substance. It boils at 77 K (\u2212195.8\u00b0 C or \u2212320.4\u00b0 F). When the liquid nitrogen boils, it displays the <\/span>Leidenfrost effect<\/span><\/i>. Namely, liquid nitrogen reaches its boiling point so fast that it envelops the surrounding surfaces with an insulating layer of nitrogen gas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Nitrogen Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The chemical element nitrogen is considered to be one of the key components for understanding how the universe and life on our planet have been formed. The scientific evidence gives sufficient proof that nitrogen has been around even before the formation of the planets in our solar system, i.e. even before life itself.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, this chemical element was produced in ancient Egypt by heating a mixture of animal excrement, urine, and salt. The result was nitrogen in the form of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Contribution of John Mayow (1641 – 1679)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1674, the English chemist, physician, and physiologist John Mayow was intrigued by the nature of air and respiration. In his opinion as a scientist, Mayow believed that the air is not a single element, but a mixture of several other components. Eager to provide scientific evidence on this claim, Mayow conducted a series of experiments that proved that a part of the compound comprising the air was combustible, while the other constituting elements were not reacting in such a volatile manner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Contribution of Joseph Black (1728 – 1799)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A century later, the Scottish physicist and chemist who discovered carbon dioxide, Joseph Black, tried to bring closure to the question raised by John Mayow – is there really more than just air? He continued the work of his English colleague by conducting more elaborate experiments. First, Black removed the carbon dioxide and oxygen from the compound, but part of it remained. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, the Scottish chemist asked his doctoral student Daniel Rutherford to finish what he started. Some of the most distinguished chemists like Scheele, Cavendish, Rutherford, and Priestley were also working on the \u2018burnt\u2019 or \u2018dephlogisticated air\u2019 in the same period.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Discovery of Daniel Rutherford (1749 – 1819)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Eager to contribute to the study of air, physician Daniel Rutherford started his experiment in 1772 by trapping a mouse into an enclosed space. When there was no more air left, the mouse died. Then, Rutherford put a lit candle in the space with no air. The candle flame also went out. Upon the third trial, Rutherford used burning phosphorus as a part of the oxygen removal process. After a while, the phosphorus was also extinguished without having enough oxygen to flame it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, Rutherford removed the carbon dioxide by the means of a solution that absorbed it. The resulting leftover from the experiment was an extremely unpleasant smelling phlogisticated part of the air, the nitrogen (N).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Discovery of Carl Scheele (1742 – 1786)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By conducting independent research on the air components, the German and Swedish Pomeranian pharmaceutical chemist Carl Sheele attempted to absorb the oxygen in several ways in the same year as Rutherford. Sheele\u2019s chemical trials also led him to the discovery of nitrogen, which he called \u2018a spent air\u2019 due to the process of oxygen reduction which left the nitrogen as a residue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The First Liquefaction of Nitrogen<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Polish physicists Zygmunt Wr\u00f3blewski and Karol Olszewski were the first scientists who changed the aggregate state of nitrogen from gas to liquid. Nitrogen was first liquefied on April 15, 1883.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Nitrogen Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name of element 7 originates from the Greek words ‘<\/span>nitron<\/span><\/i>‘ and ‘<\/span>genes<\/span><\/i>‘, meaning \u2018formation of nitre (saltpeter)\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1790,  the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal chose the name \u2018<\/span>nitrogen<\/span><\/i>\u2019 for the new element, because the scientific evidence showed that nitrogen was one of the constituting components of <\/span>nitre <\/span><\/i>(<\/span>potassium<\/a> nitrate). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743 – 1794) additionally named nitrogen as \u2018<\/span>azote<\/span><\/i>\u2019, meaning \u2018<\/span>without life<\/span><\/i>\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Nitrogen?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nitrogen is the 7th most abundant chemical element in both the solar system and our galaxy. It has occurred as a result of the fusion reaction between hydrogen and carbon in supernova explosions of the old stars. Nitrogen\u2019s gaseous compounds can be found in the atmospheres of moons and planets with atmospheres, as well as in the trails of comets and the Sun.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Birth of Nitrogen in the Universe<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to <\/span>a study<\/span><\/a> conducted by Dennis Harries, Peter Hoppe, and Falko Langenhorst, the nitrogen that occurs on the Earth is not the same as the isotopes of nitrogen found in the Sun and the other celestial objects. In order to find an answer to their dilemma, this team of scientists applied transmission electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry techniques in order to examine a meteorite sample. As a result, they found a mineral labeled as <\/span>carlsbergite <\/span><\/i>in the meteorite\u2019s structure. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By analyzing the properties of this mineral, the team of scientists came to the conclusion that the carlsberg has been formed by a chemical reaction with a chromium<\/a>-bearing metal exposed to reactive ammonia. On the other hand, the ammonia that had participated in the formation of the mineral was produced by melting of the ice in the protoplanetary disk, which had been triggered by a shock-wave activity in the early Sun. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harries, Hoppe, and Langenhorst assume that this is the same activity that has led to the formation of the planets and our solar system, which brings us to the fact that the chemical element nitrogen exists since the birth of our Universe. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To continue with, they propose that nitrogen has been spread to the other parts of the universe by the planet Jupiter during the <\/span>Grand Tack<\/span><\/a>. As maintained by the Grand Tack model, our solar system has been formed by the migration of the giant planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Nitrogen Cycle<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The nitrogen distribution to Earth and other planets in the solar system has been governed by <\/span>biological and geological cycles<\/span><\/a>. During the course of the biological cycle, nitrogen is taken from the atmosphere and used by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This chemical element is responsible for the control of both amount and nature of biomass in the water and earth environment. Released in the form of NH<\/span>4<\/span>+, N<\/span>2<\/span>, or oxidized to nitrate, the nitrogen waste from the aforementioned bacteria is returned to the oceans and the atmosphere. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a part of the food chains, the nitrogen gas first has to be converted by the nitrifying bacteria in order for the plants and animals to absorb the nitrogen gas. During the <\/span>nitrogen fixation process, <\/span><\/i>the following chemical reaction is activated:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

N<\/span>2<\/span> + 3 H<\/span>2<\/span> -> 2 NH<\/span>3<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By this process, nitrogen is converted into ammonia and ammonium by cyanobacteria. By this conversion, the plants become able to absorb the nitrogen from ammonia. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, the <\/span>nitrification process<\/span><\/i> takes place:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 NH<\/span>3<\/span> + 3O<\/span>2<\/span> – > 2 NO<\/span>2<\/span> + 2 H<\/span>+<\/span> + 2 H<\/span>2<\/span>O<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 NO<\/span>2<\/span>–<\/span> + O<\/span>2<\/span> -> 2 NO<\/span>3<\/span>–<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this process, the aerobic bacteria convert further the ammonia and ammonium by using oxygen. First, the nitrogen gas is converted to nitrite (NO<\/span>2<\/span>–<\/span>) by the nitrosomonas bacteria, after which the nitrobacter converts the nitrite to a plant nutrient, i.e. nitrate (NO<\/span>3<\/span>–<\/span>). In the course of the assimilation process, the plants absorb ammonium and nitrate. This process is followed by the conversion of these nitrogen compounds into nitrogen-containing organic molecules, such as DNA and amino acids.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the animals, they absorb the nitrogen nutrients by feeding on the plants that have passed through the aforementioned processes. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nitrogen nutrients undergo the process of <\/span>ammonification<\/span><\/i> after they serve their purpose in both animals and plants. This process reverses the conversion process and turns back the nitrogen nutrients into ammonia and water-soluble ammonium salts. From this point, the anaerobic bacteria continue to reverse the conversion and the nitrogen nutrients become atmospheric nitrogen again during the process of <\/span>denitrification<\/span><\/i>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, the biological cycle provides nitrogen for the geological formations which further release this chemical element in the Earth\u2019s core, in the oceans, as well as in the atmosphere via N2 degassing. The nitrogen transport is also conducted via silicate melt (magma), water-rich fluids, or as a trace component in silicate minerals. In the silicate minerals, such as mica, wadsleyite, feldspar, garnet, bridgmanite, and clay minerals, nitrogen mostly occurs in the form of NH4+. The pure, elemental form of nitrogen is also found in graphite and diamond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nitrogen in Everyday Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As an industrial gas, nitrogen is produced by the method of fractional distillation of liquid air. The nitrogen gas used for commercial purposes is mostly derived as a byproduct of air-processing for an industrial concentration of oxygen. It has a wide application in many industries, as well as in everyday life.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n