
Nitrogen element (N) is in group 15 and period 2 of a periodic table. Nitrogen is in the p-block and it is classified as a Nonmetal on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to nitrogen which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Nitrogen element (Information Table)
- Nitrogen element in Periodic table
- Facts about Nitrogen
- Properties of Nitrogen
- Uses of Nitrogen
Nitrogen Element (Information Table)
The important data related to nitrogen element is given in the table below.
Appearance of nitrogen | Colorless gas |
Atomic number of nitrogen | 7 |
Symbol of nitrogen | N |
Atomic mass of nitrogen | 14.007 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in nitrogen | Protons: 7, Neutrons: 7, Electrons: 7 |
State of nitrogen (at STP) | Gas |
Group number of nitrogen in periodic table | 15 |
Period number of nitrogen in periodic table | 2 |
Block of nitrogen in periodic table | p-block |
Category of nitrogen | Nonmetals |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in nitrogen | 2, 5 |
Electron configuration of nitrogen | [He] 2s2 2p3 |
Orbital diagram of nitrogen | ![]() |
Valence electrons in nitrogen | 5 |
Electronegativity of nitrogen (on pauling scale) | 3.04 |
Atomic radius of nitrogen (van der Waals radius) | 155 picometers |
Density of nitrogen | 0.808 g/cm3 (when liquid at barometric pressure) |
1st ionization energy of nitrogen | 14.534 eV |
Main isotope of nitrogen | 14N |
Melting point of nitrogen (N2) | 63.23 K or -209.86 °C or -345.75 °F |
Boiling point of nitrogen (N2) | 77.35 K or -195.79 °C or -320.43 °F |
Crystal structure of nitrogen | Hexagonal |
Discovery of nitrogen | By Daniel Rutherford in 1772 |
Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).
Nitrogen element in Periodic table
The Nitrogen element (N) has the atomic number 7 and is located in group 15 and period 2. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and it is classified as a pnictogen element.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about nitrogen
Here are a few interesting facts about nitrogen element.
- Rightnow, you are breathing the air that contains 78% nitrogen.
- Nitrogen is the 7th most abundant element present in the entire universe.
- The human body, plant body as well as animals possess nitrogen.
- In our body, the proteins, DNA & RNA contain nitrogen elements.
- The atmosphere of Titan (which is the largest moon of Saturn), has around 98% nitrogen.
- Liquid nitrogen is very cold and it can even burn your skin.
- The earth’s atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen in it.
Properties of nitrogen
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of nitrogen.
Physical properties of nitrogen
- Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas.
- The liquid nitrogen looks like water.
- The melting point and boiling point of nitrogen are 63.23 K and 77.35 K respectively.
Chemical properties of nitrogen
- The nitrogen is a reactive gas and it always exists as a molecular nitrogen (N2).
- The N2 molecule has a triple bond between them, and these bonds have a very short bond length.
- The nitrogen is a reactive nonmetals and reacts with almost all the elements of the periodic table, except some noble gases.
- The nitrogen forms nitrides (which includes hydrides, oxides, fluorides, etc).
- The nitrides formed with alkali metals and alkaline earth metals are more ionic in nature as compared to other nitrides.
- The nitrogen reacts with hydrogen to form ammonia (NH3), which is a colorless alkaline gas.
- N2O (also known as laughing gas) is produced by the thermal decomposition of molten ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) at 523 K temperature.
Uses of nitrogen
Here are some uses of the nitrogen element.
- Nitrogen is used in production of ammonia (NH3), which has wide industrial applications.
- Nitrogen is used in nitriding for case-hardening of steel.
- Nitrogen is also used in some aircraft fuel systems to reduce the fire hazard.
- Nitrogen is also used in filling tyres of vehicles, which reduces the running temperature of the tyre, as well as it also maintains the pressure.
- Liquid nitrogen is a cryogenic fluid which is used for cooling to low temperatures.
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