NI-TRO-GEN

Chem4Kids Scientist Guy with Spiked Hair

The second of the big three elements in row two is nitrogen (N). Nitrogen is the seventh element of the periodic table. It is located between carbon (C) and oxygen (O). Along with carbon and oxygen, nitrogen is essential in most of the compounds that allow life to exist. It would be great if you remember that nitrogen is an important part of amino acids. We'll tell you again later, but you should always know that almost eighty percent of Earth's atmosphere is made of nitrogen gas.
Even though it surrounds us every day, nitrogen wasn't isolated until 1772 by Daniel Rutherford. It was named eighteen years later by the chemist Chaptal. Nitrogen is a clear gas that has no smell when it is in its pure form. It is not very reactive when it is a pure molecule, but it can create very reactive compounds when combined with other elements, including hydrogen (H) in ammonia (NH₃).

Where else can you find nitrogen?


		Ammonia Nitrogen is in something called ammonia. Your parents might have ammonia around the house where they use it to clean things. Ammonia is used as a disinfectant because it kills bacteria and fungus. It is very poisonous... So stay away from it.
	Steel Manufacturing Nitrogen is used in the processes to make steel. Many other elements are also used to make steel. It is not an easy thing to do. Scientists use nitrogen in many difficult processes.
		Coolant Nitrogen is used as a refrigerant. When it is in a liquid form nitrogen is very cold. Scientists use that cold nitrogen to keep things frozen.
	Oil and Petroleum Refineries Nitrogen is used to refine oil. Scientists get oil out of the ground but it can't be made into gasoline without nitrogen.
		Atmosphere Even though we breathe oxygen from the air, did you know that over three quarters of the air is made up of nitrogen? Let's say you had one hundred pennies. Take 78 pennies and put them to the side. That's how much nitrogen is in the air.
	Soil Nutrients Plants need nitrogen to grow. They get the nitrogen out of the soil that they grow in. The nitrogen is sucked in through the roots and pumped all the way up to the leaves. That's a long way if that tree is fifty feet tall.

RELATED LINKS

- Chem4Kids: Periodic Table
- Chem4Kids: Atoms
- Chem4Kids: Compounds
- Chem4Kids: Carbon
- Chem4Kids: Oxygen
- Chem4Kids: Phosphorus
- Chem4Kids: Chemical Bonds
- Chem4Kids: Biochemistry
- Geography4Kids: Biosphere
- Geography4Kids: Nitrogen Cycle
- Biology4Kids: Cell Function

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