Nitrogen is what type of element

What is a chemical element? What element in the fourth period of the periodic table has 5 valence electrons? How are chemical elements diffrent from chemical compounds?

What does organic chemistry study? How do elements change from left to right in the periodic tabale? See all questions in Elements. Impact of this question views around the world. The Group 5A elements have five valence electrons in their highest-energy orbitals ns 2 np 3. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and arsenic can form ionic compounds by gaining three electrons, forming the nitride N 3- , phosphide P 3- and arsenide As 3- anions, but they more frequently form compounds through covalent bonding.

Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless gas; in its elemental form, nitrogen is found as the diatomic molecule N 2 , in which the two nitrogen atoms are held together by a triple bond.

The name of the element is derived from the Latin words nitron and genes , for "nitre potassium nitrate forming. It is found in the ground primarily in the form of ores containing the nitrate NO 3 - anion, such as nitratine [also known as Chile saltpeter, sodium nitrate, NaNO 3 ], nitrobarite [barium nitrate, Ba NO 3 2 ], and nitrocalcite [calcium nitrate, Ca NO 3 2 ].

The nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond is very strong and very difficult to break, so elemental nitrogen is a fairly inert substance. Since nitrogen is fairly inert, it is used in some environments where it is desirable to exclude oxygen or water vapor. Elemental nitrogen is nonpolar, and has a very low boiling point Liquid nitrogen , which is obtained by fractional distillation from liquefied air, is used in the frozen food industry to freeze foods very quickly; it is also used to freeze blood and genetic material.

Nitrogen from the air is converted by some organisms to ammonia, NH 3 , in a process called nitrogen fixation. Chemists who study nitrogen obsessively might also be said to have a "nitrogen fixation," but that's not the same thing! Some species of bacteria form nodules on the roots of legumes beans , alfalfa, and clover, providing them with nitrogen in exchange for carbohydrates.

The nitrogenase enzyme in these bacteria reduces N 2 from the atmosphere into ammonia, which can then be converted into nitrate NO 3 - , which becomes incorporated into a wide variety of biologically important molecules. The ammonia that produced is removed by refrigerating it until it liquefies at The name "ammonia" is derived from the name sal ammoniac , a white powder produced in kilns used for burning camel dung outside the Temple of Ammon in Ancient Egypt.

This substance is what we now know as ammonium chloride, NH 4 Cl. Nitrogen is found in a wide variety of organic compounds. Compounds which contain carbon-nitrogen single bonds are called amines , and may be thought of as organic derivatives of ammonia with carbon groups replacing the hydrogen atoms.

Amines are weakly basic, and are present in many pharmaceutical compounds, often referred to as alkaloids because of their basicity. If the nitrogen is connected to a carbon which is double-bonded to an oxygen atom, the functional group is called an amide ; amino acids are connected together to form proteins by amide linkages. Carbon-nitrogen double bonds, called imines , are also very common.

Nitrogen is incorporated into a large number of organic compounds of tremendous biological importance, such as the amino acids, nucleic acids, ATP, proteins, DNA, RNA, etc. Green plants contain a molecule called chlorophyll , which consists of a flat ring of carbon and nitrogen atoms with a large open space in the middle, in which a magnesium ion is bound, held in place by the nitrogen atoms.

The hemoglobin molecule contains a similar ring structure, which an iron ion bound in the cavity; this molecule is incorporated into a protein called hemoglobin, which is responsible for transporting oxygen in the bloodstream. Nitrogen forms many compounds with oxygen.

One of the most important of these is nitric oxide, NO, also known as nitrogen monoxide, which is produced in the body from the amino acid arginine; it acts as a vasodilator, causing blood vessels to relax and increasing blood flow. Some heart medications, such as nitroglycerin and amyl nitrate, increase the amount of nitric oxide in the blood, allowing the delivery of more blood to the heart during an episode of heart pain angina or heart attack.

The drug Viagra works by a similar mechanism, except that the blood is delivered elsewhere. Nitric oxide also acts as a neurotransmitter. In the atmosphere, nitric oxide is a pollutant, produced in automobile exhaust and power plants; it can be converted into nitrogen dioxide and nitric acid, HNO 3 , which leads to increased acidity levels in rain.

Nitrous oxide, N 2 O, also known as dinitrogen monoxide or laughing gas, is a mild anesthetic used in dentistry and surgery; it is also used as an aerosol propellant in cans of whipped cream. The percentage of an element produced in the top producing country. The higher the value, the larger risk there is to supply. The percentage of the world reserves located in the country with the largest reserves.

A percentile rank for the political stability of the top producing country, derived from World Bank governance indicators. A percentile rank for the political stability of the country with the largest reserves, derived from World Bank governance indicators. Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to change the temperature of a kilogram of a substance by 1 K.

A measure of the stiffness of a substance. It provides a measure of how difficult it is to extend a material, with a value given by the ratio of tensile strength to tensile strain.

A measure of how difficult it is to deform a material. It is given by the ratio of the shear stress to the shear strain. A measure of how difficult it is to compress a substance. It is given by the ratio of the pressure on a body to the fractional decrease in volume.

A measure of the propensity of a substance to evaporate. It is defined as the equilibrium pressure exerted by the gas produced above a substance in a closed system. This Site has been carefully prepared for your visit, and we ask you to honour and agree to the following terms and conditions when using this Site. Copyright of and ownership in the Images reside with Murray Robertson.

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Nor shall the RSC be in any event liable for any damage to your computer equipment or software which may occur on account of your access to or use of the Site, or your downloading of materials, data, text, software, or images from the Site, whether caused by a virus, bug or otherwise. Jump to main content. Periodic Table. Glossary Allotropes Some elements exist in several different structural forms, called allotropes. Discovery date Discovered by Daniel Rutherford Origin of the name The name is derived from the Greek 'nitron' and 'genes' meaning nitre forming.

Allotropes N 2. Glossary Group A vertical column in the periodic table. Fact box. Glossary Image explanation Murray Robertson is the artist behind the images which make up Visual Elements.

Appearance The description of the element in its natural form. Biological role The role of the element in humans, animals and plants. Natural abundance Where the element is most commonly found in nature, and how it is sourced commercially. Uses and properties. Image explanation. The wheat sheaf symbol and lightning reflect the importance of nitrogen to living things.

Nitrogen is important to the chemical industry. It is used to make fertilisers, nitric acid, nylon, dyes and explosives. To make these products, nitrogen must first be reacted with hydrogen to produce ammonia. This is done by the Haber process. Nitrogen gas is also used to provide an unreactive atmosphere.

It is used in this way to preserve foods, and in the electronics industry during the production of transistors and diodes. Large quantities of nitrogen are used in annealing stainless steel and other steel mill products. Annealing is a heat treatment that makes steel easier to work. Liquid nitrogen is often used as a refrigerant. It is used for storing sperm, eggs and other cells for medical research and reproductive technology.

It is also used to rapidly freeze foods, helping them to maintain moisture, colour, flavour and texture. Biological role. It is taken up by green plants and algae as nitrates, and used to build up the bases needed to construct DNA, RNA and all amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Animals obtain their nitrogen by consuming other living things.

They digest the proteins and DNA into their constituent bases and amino acids, reforming them for their own use. Microbes in the soil convert the nitrogen compounds back to nitrates for the plants to re-use.

Crop yields can be greatly increased by adding chemical fertilisers to the soil, manufactured from ammonia. If used carelessly the fertiliser can leach out of the soil into rivers and lakes, causing algae to grow rapidly.

This can block out light preventing photosynthesis. The dissolved oxygen soon gets used up and the river or lake dies. Natural abundance. It is obtained by the distillation of liquid air. Around 45 million tonnes are extracted each year. It is found, as compounds, in all living things and hence also in coal and other fossil fuels. Help text not available for this section currently. Elements and Periodic Table History. Nitrogen in the form of ammonium chloride, NH 4 Cl, was known to the alchemists as sal ammonia.

It was manufactured in Egypt by heating a mixture of dung, salt and urine. Nitrogen gas itself was obtained in the s by both Henry Cavendish and Joseph Priestley and they did this by removing the oxygen from air.

They noted it extinguished a lighted candle and that a mouse breathing it would soon die. Neither man deduced that it was an element. The first person to suggest this was a young student Daniel Rutherford in his doctorate thesis of September at Edinburgh, Scotland.

Atomic data. Bond enthalpies. Glossary Common oxidation states The oxidation state of an atom is a measure of the degree of oxidation of an atom. Oxidation states and isotopes. Glossary Data for this section been provided by the British Geological Survey. Relative supply risk An integrated supply risk index from 1 very low risk to 10 very high risk. Recycling rate The percentage of a commodity which is recycled.