Knowledge Builders

how abundant is nitrogen

by Linwood Conroy Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

Nitrogen is pronounced as NYE-treh-gen. History and Uses: Nitrogen was discovered by the Scottish physician Daniel Rutherford in 1772. It is the fifth most abundant element in the universe and makes up about 78% of the earth's atmosphere, which contains an estimated 4,000 trillion tons of the gas.

What are facts about nitrogen?

  • N has no odor, is tasteless, and colorless.
  • Nitrogen gas (N 2) makes up 78.1% of the Earth's atmosphere
  • Atmosphere contains an estimated 4,000 trillion tons of N 2
  • Nitrogen is not a metal.
  • Nitrogen gas is inert. ...
  • French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier named nitrogen azote, meaning without life.

More items...

What is the MW of nitrogen?

›› Nitrogen molecular weight. Molar mass of N = 14.0067 g/mol. Convert grams Nitrogen to moles or moles Nitrogen to grams ›› Percent composition by element

What is the equation for nitrogen?

What is nitrogen formula?-The chemical formula for nitrogen as an element is ‘N’. -The chemical formula for nitrogen gas is ‘N2’. Complete answer: Nitrogen is a chemical element whose atomic number is 7.

What is the melting point of nitrogen?

Nitrogen’s symbol is N. Its melting point is 63.15 K and its boiling point is Page 2 77.36K. Nitrogen is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions. It is constitute 78.1% by volume of the Earth’s atmosphere. What is N2 called? Does nitrogen mean N2?

See more

image

Is nitrogen abundant on Earth?

But here on Earth, nitrogen is a fairly inert gas at room temperature and is the most abundant element in Earth's atmosphere.

Why is nitrogen abundant in Earth?

Due to strong triple bond in N2(N≡N) or high activation energy, nitrogen is unreactive and thus is most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere. Was this answer helpful?

Why nitrogen is not abundant in Earth?

Nitrogen is not stable as a part of a crystal lattice, so it is not incorporated into the solid Earth. This is one reason why nitrogen is so enriched in the atmosphere relative to oxygen.

How common is nitrogen in the universe?

Abundances of the Elements in the UniverseAtomic NumberSymbolRelative Abundance7N714Si812Mg916S1061 more rows

What is the most abundant element on Earth?

Oxygen#1: Oxygen Oxygen is by far the most abundant element in the Earth's crust, making up 46% of mass—coming up just short of half of the total.

How much of the Earth is nitrogen?

78 percentEarth's atmosphere is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, and 0.1 percent other gases.

Where is nitrogen most abundant?

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.

Where is most nitrogen on Earth?

the atmosphereNitrogen cycles through both the abiotic and biotic parts of the Earth system. The largest reservoir of nitrogen is found in the atmosphere, mostly as nitrogen gas (N2). Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of the air we breathe.

What is the second most abundant element on Earth?

SiliconDetailed Solution. The second most common element in the Earth is Silicon. Only the hydrogen element is found in the universe in larger amounts. The chemical composition of Earth is different from that of the universe.

What are the 4 most abundant elements on Earth?

The most abundant element in the Earth's crust is oxygen, making up 46.6% of Earth's mass. Silicon is the second most abundant element (27.7%), followed by aluminum (8.1%), iron (5.0%), calcium (3.6%), sodium (2.8%), potassium (2.6%).

What are the 4 most abundant elements in the universe?

1.) Hydrogen. Created during the hot Big Bang but depleted by stellar fusion, ~70% of the Universe remains hydrogen. ... 2.) Helium. About 28% is helium, with 25% formed in the Big Bang and 3% from stellar fusion. ... 3.) Oxygen. ... 4.) Carbon. ... 5.) Neon. ... 6.) Nitrogen. ... 7.) Magnesium. ... 8.) Silicon.More items...•

What is the rarest element in the universe?

AstatineAstatine is the rarest naturally occurring element.

Where is nitrogen most abundant?

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.

Where does on Earth nitrogen exist in abundance *?

The abundance of nitrogen in the transition zone of the Earth's mantle (410–670 km depth) and below (> 670 km depth) is not easily determined, but has been suggested to be around 5 ppm (Marty 2012).

Where is most nitrogen on Earth?

Most nitrogen is found in the atmosphere.

What is the source of nitrogen?

Among the elements, nitrogen ranks sixth in cosmic abundance. The atmosphere of Earth consists of 75.51 percent by weight (or 78.09 percent by volume) of nitrogen; this is the principal source of nitrogen for commerce and industry. The atmosphere also contains varying small amounts of ammonia and ammonium salts, as well as nitrogen oxides and nitric acid (the latter substances being formed in electrical storms and in the internal combustion engine). Free nitrogen is found in many meteorites; in gases of volcanoes, mines, and some mineral springs; in the Sun; and in some stars and nebulae.

Where is nitrogen found in the Earth?

In combination, nitrogen is found in the rain and soil as ammonia and ammonium salts and in seawater as ammonium (NH 4+ ), nitrite (NO 2− ), and nitrate (NO 3−) ions. Nitrogen constitutes on the average about 16 percent by weight of the complex organic compounds known as proteins, present in all living organisms. The natural abundance of nitrogen in Earth’s crust is 0.3 part per 1,000. The cosmic abundance—the estimated total abundance in the universe—is between three and seven atoms per atom of silicon, which is taken as the standard.

What are some reactions that yield nitrogen?

Various laboratory reactions that yield nitrogen include heating ammonium nitrite (NH 4 NO 2) solutions, oxidation of ammonia by bromine water, and oxidation of ammonia by hot cupric oxide. Elemental nitrogen can be used as an inert atmosphere for reactions requiring the exclusion of oxygen and moisture.

What is nitrogen used for?

In the electrical industry nitrogen is used to prevent oxidation and other chemical reactions, to pressurize cable jackets, and to shield motors. Nitrogen finds application in the metals industry in welding, soldering, and brazing, where it helps prevent oxidation, carburization, and decarburization.

How is nitrogen made?

Commercial production of nitrogen is largely by fractional distillation of liquefied air. The boiling temperature of nitrogen is −195.8 °C (−320.4 °F), about 13 °C (−23 °F) below that of oxygen, which is therefore left behind. Nitrogen can also be produced on a large scale by burning carbon or hydrocarbons in air and separating the resulting carbon dioxide and water from the residual nitrogen. On a small scale, pure nitrogen is made by heating barium azide, Ba (N 3) 2. Various laboratory reactions that yield nitrogen include heating ammonium nitrite (NH 4 NO 2) solutions, oxidation of ammonia by bromine water, and oxidation of ammonia by hot cupric oxide.

What is the name of the gas in the atmosphere?

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 (KNO 3 ), 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.

What is the name of the element that is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas?

Alternative Titles: N, azote. nitrogen (N), nonmetallic element of Group 15 [Va] of the periodic table. It is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas that is the most plentiful element in Earth ’s atmosphere and is a constituent of all living matter. nitrogen Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Why is nitrogen the most common element in the atmosphere?

Why is nitrogen the most common element in the earths atmosphere? The answer lies mostly in three facts: 1. nitrogen is volatile in most of its forms. 2. it is unreactive with materials that make up the solid earth. 3. it is very stable in the presence of solar radiation.

Why is nitrogen so rich in the atmosphere?

This is one reason why nitrogen is so enriched in the atmosphere relative to oxygen. The other primary reason is that, unlike oxygen, nitrogen is very stable in the atmosphere and is not involved to a great extent in chemical reactions that occur there. Thus, over geological time, it has built up in the atmosphere to a much greater extent ...

How abundant is N compared to O?

Compared to O, N is 4 times as abundant in the atmosphere. However, we must also consider the relative abundances of O and N over the entire Earth (oxygen is about 10,000 times more abundant). These earthly abundances overall reflect the composition of the material from which the Earth originally formed and the process of Earth's accretion.

Where are N and O found?

N and O are found in the living biosphere and fossil organic matter (and both are soluble in sea water too). But, only a small fraction (less than 1% for N and much, much less than 1% for O) of the total for these element on the planet are to be found in these places. Dr. Ken Rubin, Assistant Professor.

Is oxygen a solid?

Oxygen is a major component of the solid earth, along with Si and elements such as Mg, Ca and Na. Nitrogen is not stable as a part of a crystal lattice, so it is not incorporated into the solid Earth. This is one reason why nitrogen is so enriched in the atmosphere relative to oxygen.

Is nitrogen and oxygen a part of the cycle of life?

It is important to know that both nitrogen and oxygen are intimately involved with the cycle of life on the planet, but that chemicals cycle through this material on a short time scale relative to the geological processes that have, over time, made the earth what it is today (compositionally and physically).

What are the characteristics of different nitrogen species?

The different nitrogen species, in turn, exhibit significantly different solubility behavior and partitioning behavior among minerals, melts, and fluids. These features need attention when the role of nitrogen in Earth formation and evolution is under consideration.

What is the name of the element that contains nitrogen?

Nitrogen in silicate minerals (clay minerals, mica, feldspar, garnet, wadsleyite, and bridgmanite) exists predominantly as NH 4+. Nitrogen also is found in graphite and diamond where it occurs in elemental form.

Why is oxygen fugacity important?

The oxygen fugacity is the most important factor affecting nitrogen abundance and distribution in the Earth because nitrogen speciation depends on f O2 in the oxygen fugacity range of the Earth’s interior. The different nitrogen species , in turn, exhibit significantly different solubility behavior and partitioning behavior among minerals, melts, and fluids. These features need attention when the role of nitrogen in Earth formation and evolution is under consideration.

How much nitrogen is in the mantle?

The abundance of nitrogen in the transition zone of the Earth’s mantle (410–670 km depth) and below (> 670 km depth) is not easily determined, but has been suggested to be around 5 ppm (Marty 2012 ). The nitrogen solubility in the silicate phases in the pressure range corresponding to this depth is, however, considerably greater than such a value. For example, the nitrogen solubility in wadsleyite [a high-pressure polymorph of (Fe,Mg) 2 SiO 4] exceeds 50 ppm at pressures corresponding to the top of the transition zone (near 410 km–15 GPa) and increases with increasing pressure (Fig. 8; see also Yoshioka et al. 2018 ). The nitrogen partition coefficients between wadsleyite and the other major lower mantle silicate phases (ringwoodite and bridgmanite) are between 2 and about 8 (Table 3 ), which means that all of the lower mantle silicates could accommodate several tens of ppm N. Based on this information, the Earth’s lower mantle is undersaturated with respect to nitrogen (Yoshioka et al. 2018 ).

Where does nitrogen transport take place?

Transport of nitrogen takes place in silicate melt (magma), water-rich fluids, and as a minor component in silicate minerals. In melts, the N solubility is greater for reduced nitrogen, whereas the opposite appears to be the case for N solubility in fluids.

How did nitrogen reservoirs evolve?

Evolution of the terrestrial nitrogen reservoirs following their original composition and volume in the proto-Earth was accomplished by mass transfer with magma (silicate melt) and fluids in the C-O-H-N systems. Characterization of these processes rely on understanding nitrogen solubility, solution mechanisms, and nitrogen partitioning between coexisting minerals, melts, and fluids.

How is nitrogen used in the atmosphere?

Nitrogen has been used as a tracer with which to connect surface reservoirs (atmosphere and the oceans) to the solid Earth. Adequate characterization of the nitrogen exchange within and between reservoirs relies, however, on knowledge of bulk nitrogen contents, nitrogen distribution among various reservoirs, and on nitrogen transport mechanisms within and between the reservoirs as a function of temperature, pressure, redox conditions, and composition of condensed and volatile components.

What is the source of nitrogen 14?

Like all elements heavier than lithium, the original source of nitrogen-14 and nitrogen-15 in the Universe is believed to be stellar nucleosynthesis, where they are produced as part of the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle . Nitrogen-14 is the source of naturally-occurring, radioactive, carbon-14.

How many radioisotopes are in nitrogen?

Natural nitrogen ( 7 N) consists of two stable isotopes: the vast majority (99.6%) of naturally occurring nitrogen is nitrogen-14, with the remainder being nitrogen-15. Fourteen radioisotopes are also known, with atomic masses ranging from 10 to 25, along with one nuclear isomer, 11m N.

What is the number of protons in nitrogen-14?

Nitrogen-14. Nitrogen-14 is one of two stable (non- radioactive) isotopes of the chemical element nitrogen, which makes about 99.636% of natural nitrogen. Nitrogen-14 is one of the very few stable nuclides with both an odd number of protons and of neutrons (seven each) and is the only one to make up a majority of its element.

What is nitrogen 15 tracing?

Nitrogen-15 tracing is a technique used to study the nitrogen cycle .

How long does nitrogen 13 last?

All of these radioisotopes are short-lived, the longest-lived being nitrogen-13 with a half-life of 9.965 minutes. All of the others have half-lives below 7.15 seconds, with most of these being below 620 milliseconds. Most of the isotopes with atomic mass numbers below 14 decay to isotopes of carbon, while most of the isotopes with masses ...

What is the shortest isotope?

The shortest-lived known isotope is nitrogen-10, with a half-life of about 200 yoctoseconds .

What is the difference between nitrogen 14 and 15?

Nitrogen-15 is frequently used in NMR ( Nitrogen-15 NMR spectroscopy ). Unlike the more abundant nitrogen-14, which has an integer nuclear spin and thus a quadrupole moment, 15 N has a fractional nuclear spin of one-half, which offers advantages for NMR such as narrower line width.

image

Overview

Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seventh in total abundance in the Milky Way and the Solar System. At standard temperature and pressure, two atoms of the element bind to form N2, a colorle…

History

Nitrogen compounds have a very long history, ammonium chloride having been known to Herodotus. They were well known by the Middle Ages. Alchemists knew nitric acid as aqua fortis (strong water), as well as other nitrogen compounds such as ammonium salts and nitrate salts. The mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids was known as aqua regia (royal water), celebrated for its ability to dissolve

Properties

A nitrogen atom has seven electrons. In the ground state, they are arranged in the electron configuration 1s 2s 2p x2p y2p z. It therefore has five valence electrons in the 2s and 2p orbitals, three of which (the p-electrons) are unpaired. It has one of the highest electronegativities among the elements (3.04 on the Pauling scale), exceeded only by chlorine (3.16), oxygen (3.44), and fluorine (3.98…

Chemistry and compounds

Atomic nitrogen, also known as active nitrogen, is highly reactive, being a triradical with three unpaired electrons. Free nitrogen atoms easily react with most elements to form nitrides, and even when two free nitrogen atoms collide to produce an excited N2 molecule, they may release so much energy on collision with even such stable molecules as carbon dioxide and water to cause …

Occurrence

Nitrogen is the most common pure element in the earth, making up 78.1% of the volume of the atmosphere. Despite this, it is not very abundant in Earth's crust, making up only 19 parts per million of this, on par with niobium, gallium, and lithium. The only important nitrogen minerals are nitre (potassium nitrate, saltpetre) and soda nitre (sodium nitrate, Chilean saltpetre). However, these ha…

Production

Nitrogen gas is an industrial gas produced by the fractional distillation of liquid air, or by mechanical means using gaseous air (pressurised reverse osmosis membrane or pressure swing adsorption). Nitrogen gas generators using membranes or pressure swing adsorption (PSA) are typically more cost and energy efficient than bulk delivered nitrogen. Commercial nitrogen is often a byproduct of air-processing for industrial concentration of oxygen for steelmaking and other purposes. Whe…

Applications

The applications of nitrogen compounds are naturally extremely widely varied due to the huge size of this class: hence, only applications of pure nitrogen itself will be considered here. Two-thirds (2/3) of nitrogen produced by industry is sold as the gas and the remaining one-third (1/3) as the liquid.
The gas is mostly used as an inert atmosphere whenever the oxygen in the air …

Safety

Although nitrogen is non-toxic, when released into an enclosed space it can displace oxygen, and therefore presents an asphyxiation hazard. This may happen with few warning symptoms, since the human carotid body is a relatively poor and slow low-oxygen (hypoxia) sensing system. An example occurred shortly before the launch of the first Space Shuttle mission on March 19, 1981, when two technicians died from asphyxiation after they walked into a space located in the Spac…

1.Nitrogen - Wikipedia

Url:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen

7 hours ago Nitrogen is pronounced as NYE-treh-gen. History and Uses: Nitrogen was discovered by the Scottish physician Daniel Rutherford in 1772. It is the fifth most abundant element in the universe and makes up about 78% of the earth’s atmosphere, which contains an estimated 4,000 trillion tons of the gas.

2.Abundance of Nitrogen in Earth's Atmosphere

Url:http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/atmo-nitrogen.html

18 hours ago 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. Nitrogen is important to all living things, including us.

3.Nitrogen in the Earth: abundance and transport

Url:https://progearthplanetsci.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40645-019-0286-x

2 hours ago Compared to O, N is 4 times as abundant in the atmosphere. However, we must also consider the relative abundances of O and N over the entire Earth (oxygen is about 10,000 times more abundant). These earthly abundances overall reflect the composition of the material from which the Earth originally formed and the process of Earth's accretion.

4.Isotopes of nitrogen - Wikipedia

Url:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_nitrogen

9 hours ago 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. Nitrogen is important to all living things, including us.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9