Nitrogen is a colorless chemical element, its natural form is gaseous and belongs to the family of non-metals. It is an element that, being part of the non-metals, are poor conductors of electricity. Its atomic number is 7 and its symbol in the periodic table is N.
The atmosphere is composed of 78.1% of its volume by nitrogen. This condensation product is balancing fixing atmospheric nitrogen by force bacterial, chemical and electrical, in addition to the leakage through the decomposition of inorganic material by bacteria or by combustion.
Nitrogen can be obtained from the atmosphere, through the transfer of air by hot iron or copper, in this way the oxygen is separated from the air and leaves the nitrogen mixed with inactive gases.
Among the different uses that nitrogen can be given are:
It is used in the preservation of packaged foods, since it stops the oxidation process in them.
It is used to manufacture various electrical parts, such as diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits.
It is used in the manufacture of stainless steel.
Other applications are in the manufacture of ammonia, which is then used to make fertilizers, urea, nitric acid, amines and explosives.
This element can also be transformed into liquid, this is produced industrially through the distillation of liquid air in parts. It is important to point out that when handling liquid nitrogen it is advisable to be very careful, since as it is an inert gas and has a low temperature, it can cause burns to whoever is handling it.
Liquid nitrogen has multiple uses, some of them are: for the transport and freezing of food, to save sample cells in laboratories, as well as in the conservation of blood, sperm or ovarian samples, in the preparation of food, such as for example ice cream, etc.
Nitrogen is a primary element within nucleic acids and amino acids that are essential for living organisms. Nitrogen is essential for the growth of plants and therefore for the productivity of ecosystems, which in turn affects all the beings that depend on them.
