Properties of nitrogen
Nitrogen is unreactive and liquid nitrogen is very cold. These properties are vital to a wide range of industrial applications.
| Symbol: | N |
| Atomic number: | 7 |
| Relative atomic mass: | 14 |
| Electronic configuration: | 1s2 2s2 2p3 |
| Molecular formula: | N2 |
| Relative molecular mass: | 28 |
| Boiling point: | 77 K |
| Key properties: | Unreactive gas, Liquid Nitrogen is very cold. |
| Some major uses: | Freezing food, shrink-fitting metal parts, producing chemicals safely, food packaging, ammonia manufacture. |
| Discoverer: | Daniel Rutherford (1772) |
Nitrogen in the air
The air around us is a mixture of many different gases, but just three elements form nearly all of it. These are nitrogen, oxygen and argon. The table and pie chart show the amount of these gases in dry air.
| Gas | % in the air |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen, N2 | 78.08 |
| Oxygen, O2 | 20.95 |
| Argon, Ar | 0.93 |
| Other gases | 0.04 |
Liquid Nitrogen
Nitrogen is usually stored as a liquid at very low temperatures. One volume of liquid nitrogen gives 651 volumes of gaseous nitrogen at 100 000 Pa and 273 K.
It would be dangerous to use liquid nitrogen without taking proper safety precautions like using special gloves, jackets and safety glasses.
