JordanGrahamNitrogen

**NITROGEN**
78% of the air one breathes in every day is nitrogen. It seems like everyone would know everything about something that important. In fact the in’s-and-outs of nitrogen are not common knowledge. The history, characteristics, and uses of nitrogen are very useful things to know. Daniel Rutherford, a Scottish physician, discovered nitrogen in 1772. He placed an empty bottle upside down in a pan of water. He then placed a candle in the bottle, causing a little water to be pulled into the bottle. The water was sucked into the bottle because fire is fueled by oxygen. Once all of the oxygen was gone the water filled its place. The air left in the bottle Rutherford called noxious air. Nitrogen is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas. It has 7 electrons and 7 protons. Nitrogen’s atomic weight is 14.0067 and atomic number is 7. Under normal conditions nitrogen is not toxic. Liquid nitrogen will cause frostbite if directly contacted. Liquid nitrogen is extremely popular as a refrigerant. The temperatures achieved by liquid nitrogen can be matched but at a much greater price. Many of nitrogen’s compounds are used frequently for their reactivity. One of the most known compounds is TNT. Nitrogen is used to in the production of ammonia and the manufacturing of nitric acid. It is also used to enhance oil recovery. Nitrogen is in the things one does every day. Whether it is breathing or blowing something up, everyone comes in contact with nitrogen. Now when one sees that N on the periodic table one knows it is not just element number 7 it is nitrogen. Works Cited "Nitrogen - N." //Nitrogen (N)//. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. "Nitrogen Element Facts." //Chemicool//. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. "The Nitrogen Family: NITROGEN!!" //The Nitrogen Family: NITROGEN!!// N.p., n.d. Web. 24  Sept. 2013.  "Nitrogen." //WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements//. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.