Emma Wilson
Nitrogen is a chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. It is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table. While nitrogen itself is odourless, many of its compounds have distinct smells. For example, ammonia (NH3) is a colourless alkaline gas with a pungent smell. Hydrazine (N2H4), another nitrogen compound, is a fuming, colourless liquid with a smell similar to ammonia. Nitrogen compounds are also present in mushrooms, and they contribute to their distinct odours. The aroma compounds of wild mushrooms, for instance, contain saturated and unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, which give them their unique smell.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen Symbol | N |
| Atomic Number | 7 |
| Type of Element | Nonmetal |
| Colour | Colourless |
| Odour | Odourless |
| Abundance in Earth's Atmosphere | 78% |
| Most Important Compound | Ammonia (NH3) |
| Ammonia Type of Compound | Alkaline Gas |
| Ammonia Odour | Pungent |
| Other Nitrogen Compounds | Nitric Acid, Organic Nitrates, Cyanides |
| Nitrogen Compounds in Organisms | Amino Acids, Nucleic Acids (DNA and RNA), Adenosine Triphosphate |
| Mushroom Odour Contributors | Saturated and Unsaturated Aldehydes, Ketones |
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What You'll Learn
- Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest pnictogen
- Nitrogen compounds are volatile, making nitrogen rare in solid parts of the Earth
- Nitrogen is the most abundant chemical species in the air, forming 78% of Earth's atmosphere
- Nitrogen compounds are used in fertilisers and energy stores
- The human body contains about 3% nitrogen by mass
Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest pnictogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. It is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often referred to as the pnictogens. Pnictogens are chemical elements in group 15, which is also known as the nitrogen group or nitrogen family. Nitrogen forms about 78% of Earth's atmosphere, making it the most abundant chemical species in the air. It was first discovered and isolated by Scottish physician Daniel Rutherford in 1772, along with Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Henry Cavendish around the same time.
Nitrogen is a common element in the universe, estimated to be the seventh most abundant in the Milky Way and the Solar System. At standard temperature and pressure, two atoms of the element bond to form N2, a colourless and odourless diatomic gas. Because of the volatility of nitrogen compounds, nitrogen is relatively rare in the solid parts of the Earth. The name "nitrogen" comes from the French "nitrogène", suggested by chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal in 1790 when it was discovered that nitrogen was present in nitric acid and nitrates. The name refers to the element's ability to form stable compounds with oxygen and hydrogen.
Nitrogen compounds such as ammonia, nitric acid, organic nitrates, and cyanides are important in industry. Ammonia (NH3), in particular, is prepared in larger amounts than any other compound because it contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilisers. It is a colourless alkaline gas with a pungent smell and a very high heat of vaporization. Hydrazine (N2H4) and hydrogen azide (HN3) are other important binary nitrogen hydrides. Hydrazine is a fuming, colourless liquid with a similar smell to ammonia and is used as a rocket fuel.
Nitrogen exhibits a range of oxidation states, including −3, +3, and +5, reflecting its ability to gain or lose electrons. It forms an extensive series of nitrides with carbon, including those with chain-, graphitic-, and fullerenic-like structures. Nitrogen also occurs in all organisms, primarily in amino acids and thus proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), and the energy transfer molecule adenosine triphosphate. The human body contains about 3% nitrogen by mass, making it the fourth most abundant element in the body after oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen.
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Nitrogen compounds are volatile, making nitrogen rare in solid parts of the Earth
Nitrogen is a nonmetallic chemical element with the atomic number 7 and the symbol N. It is the lightest member of Group 15 (or Va) of the periodic table. At standard temperature and pressure, two atoms of the element bond to form N2, a colourless and odourless diatomic gas. N2 comprises about 78% of Earth's atmosphere, making it the most abundant chemical species in the air.
Despite its abundance in the atmosphere, nitrogen is not very common in the Earth's crust. It makes up about 0.3 parts per 1,000 or 19 parts per million of the Earth's crust, on par with elements like niobium, gallium, and lithium. The low abundance of nitrogen in the solid parts of the Earth is due to the volatility of nitrogen compounds.
Nitrogen compounds are highly reactive and have a range of industrial applications. Ammonia (NH3), a compound of nitrogen, is the most important industrially and is produced in larger amounts than any other compound. It is used in fertilisers and as a precursor to food. It is also used in vacuum flasks due to its low viscosity and electrical conductivity. Other nitrogen compounds such as hydrazine (N2H4), hydrogen azide (HN3), and hydroxylamine (NH2OH) are similar in structure and properties to ammonia. These compounds are highly reactive and have various industrial uses, such as rocket fuel and sterilisation.
The volatility of nitrogen compounds is also evident in their use as propellants and explosives. Nitrates, for example, are key pollutants in the eutrophication of water systems due to their use in fertilisers. Nitrogen compounds can be burned, exploded, or decomposed to release large amounts of energy. This reactivity makes them useful in energy storage and various chemical processes.
While nitrogen compounds are volatile, the presence of nitrogen in solid form has been observed in outer space. Solid nitrogen has crystalline modifications and has been found on Pluto and the outer moons of the Solar System, such as Triton. Even at low temperatures, solid nitrogen is fairly volatile and can sublime to form an atmosphere or condense back into nitrogen frost.
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Nitrogen is the most abundant chemical species in the air, forming 78% of Earth's atmosphere
Nitrogen is a chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. It is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, also known as the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated to be the seventh most abundant in the Milky Way and the Solar System. At standard temperature and pressure, two atoms of the element bond to form N2, a colourless and odourless diatomic gas.
Nitrogen is the most abundant chemical species in the air, forming about 78% of Earth's atmosphere. It is the most common pure element on Earth, making up around 3.89 million gigatonnes. Despite this, nitrogen is not very abundant in the Earth's crust, making up only around 19 parts per million. The only important nitrogen minerals are nitre (potassium nitrate, saltpetre) and soda nitre (sodium nitrate, Chilean saltpetre). However, these have not been significant sources of nitrates since the 1920s, when the industrial synthesis of ammonia and nitric acid became common.
Nitrogen compounds are constantly exchanged between the atmosphere and living organisms. Nitrogen must first be processed, or "fixed", into a plant-usable form, usually ammonia. Synthetically produced ammonia and nitrates are key industrial fertilisers, and fertiliser nitrates are major pollutants in the eutrophication of water systems. Nitrogen is also a constituent of organic compounds such as aramids, used in high-strength fabric, and cyanoacrylate, used in superglue.
Nitrogen plays a crucial role in the Earth's atmosphere. It dilutes oxygen and prevents rapid burning at the Earth's surface. Living organisms need nitrogen to make proteins, which are essential for all life. It is also necessary for combustion. The nitrogen cycle describes the movement of nitrogen from the air into the biosphere.
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Nitrogen compounds are used in fertilisers and energy stores
Nitrogen is a chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. It is a nonmetal and is the lightest element in group 15 of the periodic table. Nitrogen compounds are used in fertilisers and energy stores. In fact, nitrogen is essential for the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms.
The most common compound of nitrogen is ammonia (NH3), which is used as a fertiliser and as a precursor to food. It is a colourless alkaline gas with a pungent smell. Ammonia can be converted into various NH compounds, which behave similarly to other nitrogenous fertilisers. One example is anhydrous ammonia, which is a liquid form of nitrogen fertiliser. When applied, it reacts with water in the soil and changes to the ammonium form.
Another important nitrogen compound is urea, an organic solid nitrogen fertiliser with an NPK ratio of 46-0-0. It is highly soluble and easily mixes with water. Urea undergoes a three-step change before it is taken up by crops. First, enzymes in the soil or plant residue convert the urea N to ammonia N. The ammonia then reacts with soil water to form ammonium N.
Nitrogen fixation processes, such as the Frank-Caro and Haber-Bosch methods, have eased the shortage of nitrogen compounds. As a result, half of global food production now relies on synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. However, the production of nitrogen fertilisers is energy-consuming and can lead to environmental concerns, such as the eutrophication of water systems.
Nitrogen compounds are also used in energy storage. Burning, exploding, or decomposing these compounds to form nitrogen gas releases large amounts of useful energy. Additionally, energy production from waste biomass can increase the accumulation of nitrogen compounds in final products and lead to increased emissions of gaseous nitrogen compounds, such as N2O.
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The human body contains about 3% nitrogen by mass
Nitrogen is a chemical element with the symbol N and the atomic number 7. It is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, also known as the pnictogens. Nitrogen is the most abundant pure element in the Earth's atmosphere, accounting for about 78% of its volume. Despite its abundance in the atmosphere, nitrogen is relatively rare in the solid parts of the Earth due to the volatility of nitrogen compounds.
The human body, which is primarily composed of water, contains about 3% nitrogen by mass, making nitrogen the fourth most abundant element in the body after oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. Nitrogen is a fundamental building block of life on Earth and is present in all organisms, playing a crucial role in various biological processes. It is found in amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), and the energy transfer molecule adenosine triphosphate.
Nitrogen compounds, such as ammonia, nitric acid, organic nitrates, and cyanides, are important in industry and are used in various applications, including fertilisers, explosives, and food packaging. Synthetically produced ammonia and nitrates are key industrial fertilisers, but they also contribute significantly to water pollution. Nitrogen is also a constituent of organic compounds found in high-strength fabrics and superglue.
In the human body, nitrogen is essential for the production of proteins and nucleic acids, which are vital for growth, repair, and the transmission of genetic information. While nitrogen is typically odourless in its pure form (N2), some nitrogen compounds can have distinct smells. For example, ammonia has a pungent odour, and hydrazine, a nitrogen-containing compound similar to ammonia, has a fuming quality and a similar smell.
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Frequently asked questions
Nitrogen is a chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. It is a colourless and odourless diatomic gas.
Nitrogen compounds can have a range of smells. For example, ammonia, a compound of nitrogen, has a pungent smell. However, nitrogen is not typically associated with a mushroom-like smell.
Other nitrogen compounds include hydrazine, which has a smell similar to ammonia, and hydroxylamine, which is structurally similar to ammonia and hydrazine. The smell of nitrogen compounds can vary, and some may have subtle odours that are difficult to distinguish.
Mushrooms do contain nitrogen compounds, and the type and concentration of these compounds can contribute to their distinct odours. However, the smell of mushrooms is influenced by various factors and is not solely due to nitrogen compounds.
Nitrogen compounds are commonly found in fertilisers, explosives, and food packaging. They are also present in organic compounds such as amino acids, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), and proteins. Nitrogen is a common element in the universe and is a significant component of Earth's atmosphere.
