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Nitrogen

Nitrogen is found everywhere on Earth and makes up 75% of the air we breathe. It is colorless, odorless, and non-toxic. Nitrogen is the fourth coldest liquid on Earth and was discovered in 1772. It has many important uses including making fertilizers for plants and producing nylon. While nitrogen has enabled important innovations, it also poses dangers like asphyxiation if its liquid form is inhaled.

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28 views

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is found everywhere on Earth and makes up 75% of the air we breathe. It is colorless, odorless, and non-toxic. Nitrogen is the fourth coldest liquid on Earth and was discovered in 1772. It has many important uses including making fertilizers for plants and producing nylon. While nitrogen has enabled important innovations, it also poses dangers like asphyxiation if its liquid form is inhaled.

Uploaded by

ArchiPLays
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Found: Everywhere

on Earth in the air we


breathe!
Atomic Number: 7 N Fun Facts:
● Nitrogen is colourless,
odorless, and
non-toxic! It is
basically invisible.
● In liquid form, it is the
4th coldest liquid on
Earth.
● The air we breathe is
75% nitrogen!

14.007 (14) :Atomic Mass

Discovered by:

Daniel Rutherford Nitrogen (Gas) At Room


Temperature

in 1772 We breathe it, we eat it, it’s even inside of us! You can find it anywhere you go.
Uses of Nitrogen
Nitrogen is one of the most important elements that we have ever discovered
so far, and it’s uses are very vast as well. It is a very useful element because it’s usages
can vary in many categories, and here are some of the most important usages of
Nitrogen by humans. Starting off, it is used to make fertilizers for plants. This is
because nitrogen is essential in the formation of protein, and plants absorb nitrogen
as a nutrient. It is used in the production of nylon, which is a material used to create
the clothing that is worn everyday by humans. Before Nitrogen can be used to create
these products, it must be combined with hydrogen to form ammonia. This is done by
something known as the Haber Process. Around 150-200 million tons of ammonia is
produced every year.
The liquid form of nitrogen, which resides at -196°C is the 4th coldest liquid on
the planet, and it is used for a variety of purposes. It is used as liquid coolant for
modern computers, used in desserts for dramatic visual effect, or used medically to
remove unwanted cells (cancerous or general skin cells). It is also used for purposes
such as storing food and liquids in an advanced way, without the stored items losing
colour, taste, or smell.
Impact on the world
Let’s start with the positive impacts on the world. Since the discovery of
nitrogen, humans have found great ways to utilize and get the most out of the
element. As I mentioned earlier, Nitrogen has allowed humans to create more
efficient fertilizers, and create useful materials such as nylon. Nitrogen has also
impacted the world negatively, some in intentional ways by humans, some by
accident. Since liquid nitrogen is so cold, it is dangerous to consume or touch
unprotected. When in liquid form, it emits cryogenic nitrogen, which is dangerous to
inhale or keep in a confined space. If inhaled for too long, this may cause
asphyxiation and has caused deaths before.
Humans have also unknowingly and curiously consumed liquid nitrogen, which
resulted in the need of emergency surgery, to remove a patient’s entire stomach.
Liquid nitrogen can be very dangerous when used inappropriately or without proper
protection.
Works Cited
- “Fertilizer 101: The Big 3” TFI, May 7th, 2014.
https://www.tfi.org/the-feed/fertilizer-101-big-3-nitrogen-phosphorus-and-potas
sium
- Galloway, James. “A chronology of human understanding of the nitrogen cycle”
PMC, July 5th, 2013. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3682740/
- Robertson, Murray. “Nitrogen” RSC, N/A. Retrieved 09/11/2021
- “How dangerous is liquid nitrogen?” BBC, 9 October 2012.
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19870668
- Katz, B. G. “Exploring the Widespread Impacts of Ongoing Nitrogen Pollution” Eos.
23rd September 2020.
https://eos.org/editors-vox/exploring-the-widespread-impacts-of-ongoing-nitrog
en-pollution

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