Nitrogen when was it discovered and by whom

Large amounts of nitrogen are combined with hydrogen to produce ammonia in a method known as the Haber process. Large amounts of ammonia are then used to create fertilizers, explosives and, through a process known as the Ostwald process, nitric acid HNO 3. Nitrogen gas is largely inert and is used as a protective shield in the semiconductor industry and during certain types of welding and soldering operations. Oil companies use high pressure nitrogen to help force crude oil to the surface.

Liquid nitrogen is an inexpensive cryogenic liquid used for refrigeration, preservation of biological samples and for low temperature scientific experimentation. This was further evidence for atoms. Dalton's theory of atoms was published by Thomas Thomson in the 3rd edition of his System of Chemistry in and in a paper about strontium oxalates published in the Philosophical Transactions.

Dalton published these ideas himself in the following year in the New System of Chemical Philosophy. Other scientists, including Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Joseph Priestly, were working on the same problem, and called nitrogen "burnt" air, or air without oxygen. In , Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier, called nitrogen "azote," which means "lifeless. One of the most important nitrogen compounds is ammonia NH 3 , which can be produced in the so-called Haber-Bosch process, in which nitrogen is reacted with hydrogen.

The colorless ammonia gas with a pungent smell can be easily liquefied into a nitrogen fertilizer. In fact, about 80 percent of ammonia that is produced is used as fertilizer.

It is also used as a refrigerant gas; in the manufacture of plastics, textiles, pesticides and dyes; and in cleaning solutions, according to the New York Department of State.

The nitrogen cycle, in which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into different organic compounds, is one the most crucial natural processes to sustain living organisms.

During the cycle, bacteria in the soil process or "fix" atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which plants need in order to grow. Other bacteria convert the ammonia into amino acids and proteins. Your email address will not be published. Highlighted Articles Issue Issue Students' Web Corner. Activities Instagram Photo Competition. School Subscription For Teachers. About Us. More Thank You to Our Sponsors.

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