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Nitrogen

  • nitrogen is a colourless, odourless gas that is in water.
  • it is a gas, N2.
  • it is an unreactive gas. This is because it has a triple between the nitrogen atoms in N2 molecules. This strong triple bond requires substantial energy to break before the nitrogen atoms can react with other atoms.
  • nitrogen gas is difficult to notice – it’s colourless, odourless and insoluble in water.
  • its structure is two nitrogen atoms joined by a triple covalent bond. This means it is diatomic.
  • the triple covalent bond is very strong, and a great deal of energy is required to break it.
  • the bond needs to be broken before nitrogen will react with other atoms.

Uses of nitrogen

We use nitrogen in two ways:

  • liquid nitrogen is very cold and makes a good coolant.
  • nitrogen gas provides an atmosphere in food packaging, helping to keep the contents fresh.