Notes

slide 1: discovered by Daniel Rutherford in 1772 , it was used It is used in chemical industry to make fertilizers, nitric acid, nylon, dyes and explosives. To make these products, nitrogen must first be reacted with hydrogen to produce ammonia (NH3). This is done by the Haber process. 150 million tonnes of ammonia are produced in this way every year. Liquid nitrogen is often used as a refrigerant. It is used for storing sperm, eggs and other cells for medical research and reproductive technology. It is also used to rapidly freeze foods, helping them to maintain moisture, colour, flavour and texture. Nitrogen gas is also used to provide an unreactive atmosphere. It is used in this way to preserve foods, and in the electronics industry during the production of transistors and diodes. Large quantities of nitrogen are used in annealing stainless steel and other steel mill products. Annealing is a heat treatment that makes steel easier to work. The origin of the name comes from the Greek words nitron genes meaning nitre and forming and the Latin word nitrum (nitre is a common name for potassium nitrate, KNO3 ). Nitrogen is symbolized by "N".

Slide 2: Nitrogen is a period 2 Group 15 element. it belongs to the Pnictogen group which also consists of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth