nitrogen: Quick Facts

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Also Known As	azote • N

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A labeled diagram of a periodic table entry for nitrogen shows its atomic number 7, symbol N, electron configuration, atomic weight, and name. Symbols indicate nitrogen is a nonmetal gas at room temperature, has a hexagonal crystal structure, and strongly acidic higher-valence oxides. A key explains the diagram's icons and color coding.

Rutherford, Daniel

A scientific graph plots average nuclear binding energy per nucleon (in MeV) against atomic mass number, showing a sharp rise at low mass numbers, peaking near iron (Fe), then gradually declining for heavier elements. Key isotopes are labeled along the curve.

Figure 12: Transformations of nitrogen compounds in the atmosphere.

Diagram of the Bohr atomic model for a nitrogen atom, showing a central nucleus with protons and neutrons, surrounded by two rings of orbiting electrons. Labels identify protons, neutrons, electrons, and electron orbits.

A chemical diagram illustrates the stepwise formation of organometallic ruthenium clusters, showing how one ruthenium atom is added at each stage to build increasingly complex structures, with arrows indicating the addition of Ru(CO)5 and loss of CO molecules.

Diagram illustrating the nitrogen cycle, showing how nitrogen moves between the atmosphere, biosphere, and soil through natural processes like nitrogen fixation, assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification, as well as through human activities such as fertilizer use and industrial emissions. Blue arrows indicate natural activities, and red arrows indicate human activities.

A vertical temperature scale shows the cryogenic region, highlighted from absolute zero up to about 90 kelvin, with key points where gases like oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and helium liquefy, alongside temperature conversions between kelvin, Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Rankine.

The importance of nitrogen and phosphorus in ecosystems

The contribution of the Maillard reaction to the smell of bacon

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Topics

liquid nitrogen Why is nitrogen essential to life?nitrogen fixation Nitrogen cycle nitric acid air Biogenic gas chemical element nitrogen group element hydrogen carbon sodium sulfur phosphorus boron iodine fluorine noble gas zinc

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Key People

Joseph Priestley

Joseph Priestley

English clergyman and scientist

Concept artwork on the periodic table of elements.

118 Names and Symbols of the Periodic Table Quiz

Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)

Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz