Periodic Table of WIS

Nitrogen  N

 

Where is nitrogen used--or where does it impact our everyday lives?

 

Nitrogen is an unreactive, diatomic gas, N2, and is used to preserve food by eliminating oxygen

 

 

Nitrogen   N

Atomic Number: 7        Atomic Mass: 14.01

Group number 15    Period 2    p-block

Melting Point: -210.0 ºC    (−346.0°F)

Boiling Point: -195.8   (−320.4°F)

Reaction with air (oxygen): Nitric oxide (NO) is formed by the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen with lightning at over 2000 oC.

No reaction with water

Electron Configuration: [He]  2s2 2p3

Source: LANL.gov

Researcher: Bridget C

 

 

 

 

 

Nitrogen can be used to inflate car tires in place of air, which is 79% nitrogen.  Here Mr. G (Physics) is pointing to his nitrogen-filled tires.  Nitrogen filled tires experience pressure drops at a slower rate, particularly with increases temperatures as the tires heat during use.  This helps gas consumption--with increased fuel consumption as deflation occurs.

 

Atmospheric nitrogen can be made to react with hydrogen in the Haber process with the right temperature and pressure and a catalyst to form ammonia, which is used to make nitrogen fertilizers, nitric acid as a precursor to a lot of other chemicals including explosives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A spectral tube is a sealed glass tube containing a gas at a low pressure and a high electrical voltage is passed through it.  The electrical energy causes electrons to be elevated to an excited state--electrons go to a higher energy level.  As they return to the ground state, their base level, energy is emitted.  The specific wavelengths of energy produce a particular color.

Nitrogen has particular wavelengths in the blue, green and red regions of the spectrum.

WIS photography

 

The "mole box" on the left is the volume of one mole of ANY gas at room temperature--24 L and contains 6 x 10^23 gas particles.  The plastic bag had 28 g liquid nitrogen put in it (= 1 mole of nitrogen gas, N2).  As it vaporized, it formed a 24 L volume and contains 6 x 10^23 nitrogen molecules, N2.

 

 

See liquid nitrogen being poured

 

 

 

Physics and Chemistry teacher Mr. J with a mole of nitrogen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. J's class experiments with liquid nitrogen during the gas investigations in Chemistry Two.

 

See the marshmallow activity

See the instant ice cream activity

See the tea kettle activity

See the rose activity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The nitrogen cylinders were photographed in Merrifield, Virginia, USA, where we purchase the liquid nitrogen for our Chemistry Two gas investigations--making a mole of mole of nitrogen, investingating the cooling effects on air--to liquefy air in a balloon, cooling marshmallows (delicious) and other materials.