Nitrogen in Our Life: Projected by

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NITROGEN IN OUR LIFE

Projected by:
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................... 2
HISTORY ................................................................................................................................................................... 2
NITROGEN IS KEY TO LIFE ................................................................................................................................ 3
PROPERTIES OF NITROGEN ............................................................................................................................... 3
Chemical Properties of Nitrogen .......................................................................................................................... 4
Physical Properties for Nitrogen........................................................................................................................... 4
NITROGEN CYCLE ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Stage 1: Nitrogen Fixation ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Stage 2: Mineralization .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Stage 3: Nitrification .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Stage 4: Immobilization ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Stage 5: Denitrification .......................................................................................................................................... 8
FACTS ABOUT NITROGEN................................................................................................................................... 8
APPLICATIONS OF NITROGEN GAS ................................................................................................................. 8
REFRENCES ........................................................................................................................................................... 10

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INTRODUCTION
Nitrogen, or N, using its scientific abbreviation, is a colorless, odorless element.
Nitrogen is in the soil under our feet, in the water we drink, and in the air we breathe. In
fact, nitrogen is the most abundant element in Earth’s atmosphere: approximately 78% of
the atmosphere is nitrogen! Nitrogen is important to all living things, including us. It plays
a key role in plant growth: too little nitrogen and plants cannot thrive, leading to low crop
yields; but too much nitrogen can be toxic to plants. Nitrogen is necessary for our food
supply, but excess nitrogen can harm the environment.

HISTORY
About four-fifths of Earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen, which was isolated and
recognized as a specific substance during early investigations of the air. Carl Wilhelm
Scheele, a Swedish chemist, showed in 1772 that air is a mixture of two gases, one of which
he called “fire air,” because it supported combustion, and the other “foul air,” because it was
left after the “fire air” had been used up. The “fire air” was, of course, oxygen and the “foul
air” nitrogen. At about the same time, nitrogen also was recognized by a Scottish botanist,
Daniel Rutherford (who was the first to publish his findings), by the British chemist Henry
Cavendish, and by the British clergyman and scientist Joseph Priestley, who, with Scheele,
is given credit for the discovery of oxygen. Later work showed the new gas to be a
constituent of nitre, a common name for potassium nitrate (KNO3), and, accordingly, it was
named nitrogen by the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal in 1790. Nitrogen first
was considered a chemical element by Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, whose explanation of the
role of oxygen in combustion eventually overthrew the phlogiston theory, an erroneous view
of combustion that became popular in the early 18th century. The inability of nitrogen to
support life (Greek: zoe) led Lavoisier to name it azote, still the French equivalent of
nitrogen.

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NITROGEN IS KEY TO LIFE

Nitrogen is a key element in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA, which are the most
important of all biological molecules and crucial for all living things. DNA carries the
genetic information, which means the instructions for how to make up a life form. When
plants do not get enough nitrogen, they are unable to produce amino acids (substances that
contain nitrogen and hydrogen and make up many of living cells, muscles and tissue).
Without amino acids, plants cannot make the special proteins that the plant cells need to
grow. Without enough nitrogen, plant growth is affected negatively. With too much
nitrogen, plants produce excess biomass, or organic matter, such as stalks and leaves, but
not enough root structure. In extreme cases, plants with very high levels of nitrogen absorbed
from soils can poison farm animals that eat them.

PROPERTIES OF NITROGEN

Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, diatomic and generally inert gas at standard
temperature and pressure. At atmospheric pressure, nitrogen is liquid between 63 K and 77
K. Liquids colder than this are considerably more expensive to make than liquid nitrogen.

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Chemical Properties of Nitrogen
Atomic number 7
Atomic mass 14.0067 g.mol -1
Electronegativity according to
3.0
Pauling
Density 1.25*10-3 g.cm-3 at 20°C
Melting point -210 °C
Boiling point -195.8 °C
Vanderwaals radius 0.092 nm
Ionic radius 0.171 nm (-3) ; 0.011 (+5) ; 0.016 (+3)
Isotopes 4
Electronic shell [ He ] 2s22p3
Energy of first ionisation 1402 kJ.mol -1
Energy of second ionisation 2856 kJ.mol -1
Energy of third ionisation 4578 kJ.mol -1
Discovered by Rutherford in 1772

Physical Properties for Nitrogen

Formula N2
Molecular Weight (lb/mol) 28.01
Critical Temp. (°F) -232.5
Critical Pressure (psia) 492.3
Boiling Point (°F) -320.5
Melting Point (°F) -345.9
Psat @ 70°F (psia) (note 1)
Liquid Density @ 70°F (lb/ft3) (note 1)
Gas Density @ 70°F 1 atm (lb/ft3) 0.0725
Specific Volume @ 70°F 1 atm (ft3/lb) 13.80
Specific Gravity 0.967
Specific Heat @ 70°F (Btu/lbmol-°F) 6.97

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Notes:
1 = Signifies at 70°F, the compound is above its critical temperature.
2 = Signifies that at 70°F, the compound is below the normal boiling point and only the equilibrium vapor is
present at 1 atmosphere.

NITROGEN CYCLE
The nitrogen cycle is a repeating cycle of processes during which nitrogen moves
through both living and non-living things: the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals and
bacteria. In order to move through the different parts of the cycle, nitrogen must change
forms. In the atmosphere, nitrogen exists as a gas (N2), but in the soils it exists as nitrogen
oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2, and when used as a fertilizer, can be found in other
forms, such as ammonia, NH3, which can be processed even further into a different
fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, or NH4NO3.

Stages of the nitrogen cycle. The Nitrogen Cycle: Nitrogen cycling through the various forms in soil determines
the amount of nitrogen available for plants to uptake. Source: https://www. agric.wa.gov.au/ soil-carbon/
immobilisation-soil-nitrogen-heavy-stubble-loads.
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There are five stages in the nitrogen cycle, and we will now discuss each of them in turn:
fixation or volatilization, mineralization, nitrification, immobilization, and denitrification.
In this image, microbes in the soil turn nitrogen gas (N2) into what is called volatile
ammonia (NH3), so the fixation process is called volatilization. Leaching is where certain
forms of nitrogen (such as nitrate, or NO3) becomes dissolved in water and leaks out of the
soil, potentially polluting waterways.

Stage 1: Nitrogen Fixation


In this stage, nitrogen moves from the atmosphere into the soil. Earth’s atmosphere contains a huge
pool of nitrogen gas (N2). But this nitrogen is “unavailable” to plants, because the gaseous form cannot be
used directly by plants without undergoing a transformation. To be used by plants, the N2 must be
transformed through a process called nitrogen fixation. Fixation converts nitrogen in the atmosphere into
forms that plants can absorb through their root systems.

A small amount of nitrogen can be fixed when lightning provides the energy needed for N2 to react with
oxygen, producing nitrogen oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2. These forms of nitrogen then enter soils
through rain or snow. Nitrogen can also be fixed through the industrial process that creates fertilizer. This
form of fixing occurs under high heat and pressure, during which atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen are
combined to form ammonia (NH3), which may then be processed further, to produce ammonium nitrate
(NH4NO3), a form of nitrogen that can be added to soils and used by plants.

Most nitrogen fixation occurs naturally, in the soil, by bacteria. In Figure (above), you can see nitrogen
fixation and exchange of form occurring in the soil. Some bacteria attach to plant roots and have a symbiotic
(beneficial for both the plant and the bacteria) relationship with the plant. The bacteria get energy through
photosynthesis and, in return, they fix nitrogen into a form the plant needs. The fixed nitrogen is then carried
to other parts of the plant and is used to form plant tissues, so the plant can grow. Other bacteria live freely
in soils or water and can fix nitrogen without this symbiotic relationship. These bacteria can also create
forms of nitrogen that can be used by organisms.

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Stage 2: Mineralization
This stage takes place in the soil. Nitrogen moves from organic materials, such as manure or plant
materials to an inorganic form of nitrogen that plants can use. Eventually, the plant’s nutrients are used up
and the plant dies and decomposes. This becomes important in the second stage of the nitrogen cycle.
Mineralization happens when microbes act on organic material, such as animal manure or decomposing
plant or animal material and begin to convert it to a form of nitrogen that can be used by plants. All plants
under cultivation, except legumes (plants with seed pods that split in half, such as lentils, beans, peas or
peanuts) get the nitrogen they require through the soil. Legumes get nitrogen through fixation that occurs
in their root nodules, as described above.

The first form of nitrogen produced by the process of mineralization is ammonia, NH3. The NH3 in the soil
then reacts with water to form ammonium, NH4. This ammonium is held in the soils and is available for
use by plants that do not get nitrogen through the symbiotic nitrogen fixing relationship described above.

Stage 3: Nitrification
The third stage, nitrification, also occurs in soils. During nitrification the ammonia in the soils,
produced during mineralization, is converted into compounds called nitrites, NO2−, and nitrates, NO3−.
Nitrates can be used by plants and animals that consume the plants. Some bacteria in the soil can turn
ammonia into nitrites. Although nitrite is not usable by plants and animals directly, other bacteria can
change nitrites into nitrates—a form that is usable by plants and animals. This reaction provides energy for
the bacteria engaged in this process. The bacteria that we are talking about are called nitrosomonas and
nitrobacter. Nitrobacter turns nitrites into nitrates; nitrosomonas transform ammonia to nitrites. Both kinds
of bacteria can act only in the presence of oxygen, O2. The process of nitrification is important to plants,
as it produces an extra stash of available nitrogen that can be absorbed by the plants through their root
systems.

Stage 4: Immobilization
The fourth stage of the nitrogen cycle is immobilization, sometimes described as the reverse of
mineralization. These two processes together control the amount of nitrogen in soils. Just like plants,
microorganisms living in the soil require nitrogen as an energy source. These soil microorganisms pull
nitrogen from the soil when the residues of decomposing plants do not contain enough nitrogen. When
microorganisms take in ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−), these forms of nitrogen are no longer
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available to the plants and may cause nitrogen deficiency, or a lack of nitrogen. Immobilization, therefore,
ties up nitrogen in microorganisms. However, immobilization is important because it helps control and
balance the amount of nitrogen in the soils by tying it up, or immobilizing the nitrogen, in microorganisms.

Stage 5: Denitrification
In the fifth stage of the nitrogen cycle, nitrogen returns to the air as nitrates are converted to atmospheric
nitrogen (N2) by bacteria through the process we call denitrification. This results in an overall loss of
nitrogen from soils, as the gaseous form of nitrogen moves into the atmosphere, back where we began our
story.

FACTS ABOUT NITROGEN


• About 2.5 percent of the weight of living organisms comes from nitrogen in organic
molecules.
• Many of the molecules of life contain nitrogen. It is the fourth most abundant
element in the human body.
• The nitrogen compound nitroglycerin can be used for relief of angina, a life-
threatening heart condition.
• Nitrogen is the seventh most abundant element in the universe.
• The universe’s nitrogen was made, and is being made, by the CNO cycle in stars
heavier than our sun. (See image below)

APPLICATIONS OF NITROGEN GAS


Nitrogen gas is used for a lot more things than you may realize. From food packaging
to electronics production to mining, nitrogen gas is used in multiple applications every day.
And these industries often rely on the nitrogen gas being delivered in cylinders, which
logistically can be a hassle, and it can also be expensive.

Nitrogen gas is used in many varying industries a few of them are highlighted below:

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• Food Packaging – Nitrogen is used to displace oxygen in food packaging. By
eliminating the oxygen, the food can last longer. It can also add a cushion around the
food to keep it safe from breaking in transport.
• Light Bulb Production – In incandescent light bulbs, nitrogen gas is often used as a
cheaper alternative to argon.
• Chemical Plants – Nitrogen is used to displace oxygen and prevent explosions in
highly dangerous atmospheres, such as chemical plants and manufacturing facilities.
• Tire Inflation – Nitrogen offers many
benefits when used to fill tires, such as
giving them a longer life by reducing
oxidation. It also improves tire
pressure retention to give drivers better
gas mileage.
• Electronics – When electronics are
being assembled, nitrogen gas is used
for soldering. Using nitrogen reduces
the surface tension to provide a cleaner breakaway from the solder site.
• Stainless Steel Manufacturing – By electroplating the stainless steel with nitrogen,
the finished product is stronger and resistant to corrosion.
• Pollution Control – Nitrogen gas can be used to remove the VOCs in liquids before
they are discarded.
• Pharmaceuticals – Almost every major drug class contains some nitrogen, even
antibiotics. Nitrogen, in the form of nitrous oxide, is also used as an anesthetic.
• Mining – In the mining industry, nitrogen gas is used to quickly extinguish fires by
eliminating the oxygen from the air. And when an area is going to be abandoned, they
use nitrogen to ensure the area will not explode.

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REFRENCES
• Alexander Findlay, Chemistry in the Service of Man., (2007) p46. Findlay Press.
• Aaron John Ihde, The Development of Modern Chemistry., (2007) p38. Dover Publications.
• Jonathan Shectman, Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the 18th
Century., (2003) p78. Greenwood Publishing Group.
• Britto, D. T., and Kronzuker, H. J. 2002. NH4+ toxicity in higher plants: a critical review. J. Plant Physiol.

159:567–84. doi: 10.1078/0176-1617-0774


• Weathers, K. C., Groffman, P. M., Dolah, E. V., Bernhardt, E., Grimm, N. B., McMahon, K., et al.
2016. Frontiers in ecosystem ecology from a community perspective: the future is boundless and
bright. Ecosystems 19:753–70. doi: 10.1007/s10021-016-9967-0 .
• Brady, N., and Weil, R. 2010. “Nutrient cycles and soil fertility,” in Elements of the Nature and
Properties of Soils, 3rd Edn, ed V. R. Anthony (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.),
396–420.
• Foth, H. 1990. Chapter 12: “Plant-Soil Macronutrient Relations,” in Fundamentals of Soil Science,
8th Edn, ed John Wiley and Sons (New York, NY: John Wiley Company), 186–209.

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