Safekipedia
Chemical elementsCoolantsDiatomic nonmetalsDielectric gases

Nitrogen

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A close-up of liquid nitrogen, showcasing its unique properties and extremely cold temperature.

What Is Nitrogen?

Nitrogen is a special kind of gas that is very important for our world. It is a chemical element with the symbol N. Nitrogen is a light, colorless gas that you can’t see or smell. It is very common and makes up most of the air we breathe!

Where Is Nitrogen Found?

Nitrogen is all around us. It is the main part of Earth's atmosphere, making up about 78% of the air. This means every breath you take has lots of nitrogen in it! It is also found inside all living things, including you and me. Nitrogen helps make important things like proteins in our bodies and DNA, which tells our cells how to work.

Why Do We Know About Nitrogen?

People have known about nitrogen for a very long time. A clever scientist named Daniel Rutherford from Scotland discovered it in 1772. He was a doctor who loved to learn about air. Nitrogen is used in many useful ways. For example, it helps keep food fresh in packages and can be turned into very cold liquid nitrogen to freeze things. It is also important for making fertilisers that help plants grow big and strong.

Fun Facts About Nitrogen

  • Nitrogen is the fourth most common element in our bodies!
  • It helps make ammonia, which is used in many cleaning products.
  • Liquid nitrogen is so cold that it can freeze things in seconds!

Nitrogen is a wonderful part of our world that helps life grow and keeps many things working well.

Images

A scientific diagram showing the emission spectrum of the element nitrogen, used to study light and energy in physics and chemistry.
Visual representation of the shapes of the first five atomic orbitals, showing how electron waves are distributed in space.
A scientific chart showing different forms of elements from Carbon to Fluorine, useful for learning about atomic structures.
A detailed view of Pluto's icy mountains and flat plain, showing how water-ice blocks meet a smooth nitrogen surface.
Illustration of the chemical structure of nitrogen trichloride, useful for learning about chemical compounds.
This image shows how nitrogen dioxide changes appearance at different temperatures, from a frozen state to a gaseous form.
A container holding liquid nitrogen, a very cold scientific liquid used in experiments.
A 3D model showing the structure of nitrous oxide, a chemical compound.
Portrait of Daniel Rutherford, an American politician and scientist from the 18th century.
A scientific diagram showing the molecular orbitals of a nitrogen molecule.
Diagram showing the chemical structure of Rupentammine N2, a compound used in scientific studies.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Nitrogen, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.