Nitrogen

Fig 1: The picture above shows what
nitrogen looks like on the periodic table.

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a colourless, odourless, tasteless non-metal gas. It makes up 78% of the air we breathe, and it can be found in all living tissues. The symbol for nitrogen is "N" and it's atomic number is 7, it also has an atomic mass of 14. It can be found in the second period and is a part of group five, also known as the nitrogen family. The name originates from the Greek words "nitron genes" which means nitre and forming

Physical and Chemical properties:

As I explained earlier nitrogen is a colourless, odourless and tasteless non-metal gas. It's density is 1.251g/L, nitrogen has a melting point of -210° C and a boiling point of -195.8°C. Nitrogen is mostly an inert diatomic gas, which means that each nitrogen molecule have two nitrogen atoms.

When nitrogen is at room temperature it is very inactive and it usually doesn't mix with any other element. But it will mix with oxygen in the presence of a spark or lightning. The energy from one of those sources cause nitrogen and oxygen to form nitric oxide which is more active than normal nitrogen. 

Fig 2: The picture above is a visual representation
of Daniel Rutherford.

The History of Nitrogen:

Scientists had very small understanding of gases until the late 1700's. The big question was "what was air made of". That question was very difficult to answer because you can't really "see" air and it took scientists years to figure out how to study it. Nitrogen was discovered in 1772 by Daniel Rutherford, he was only 23 when he made the discovery. His method of discovery is very interesting. Rutherford trapped a mouse in a can and once the air ran out it died. He then burnt a candle in the remaining air and once that burnt out he burnt a piece of phosphorus in the can. Rutherford then removed the oxygen and carbon dioxide from this mixture and named the remaining gas nitrogen.

General uses:

Nitrogen is used for a variety of different things. Since nitrogen is an inert gas it can be used to replace air and can be used to reduce oxidation in materials. The most common use of nitrogen is in creating ammonia which is later on used for fertilizers. Also nitrogen is a liquid at -196.5°C and it is used as a  refrigerant for things like the preservation of blood and the cooling of larger computer systems.

Compounds formed by Nitrogen:

There are two common compounds of nitrogen, Potassium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrate. Those two compounds are usually formed by decomposing organic matter that contains either potassium or sodium, which are present in fertilizers and byproducts of industrial waste.   

Video: 

                                                                       

Fig 3: The diagram above is the
Bohr- Rutherford diagram
that represents nitrogen.

References:

."Water Treatment Solutions." Nitrogen (N) - Chemical Properties, Health and Environmental Effects. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

Winter, Mark. "Nitrogen: The Essentials." Nitrogen»the Essentials [WebElements Periodic Table]. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

"Daniel Rutherford – Discoverer of Nitrogen Gas - World Of Chemicals." Daniel Rutherford Discovered Nitrogen Gas. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

"Uses for Nitrogen." Uses for Nitrogen by Ron Kurtus - Understanding Chemistry: School for Champions. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

"NITROGEN." Nitrogen, Chemical Element - Reaction, Water, Uses, Elements, Proteins, Metal, Gas, Number. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

"Facts About Nitrogen." LiveScience. Purch, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.