Nitrogen is a colourless gas that you can’t smell. It makes up about 78 % of the Earth’s atmosphere.

The element's chemical symbol is N. Its atomic number is 7 and its mass is 14. Nitrogen gas has two atoms bonded together to form a molecule. The gas can be made into a liquid that freezes at -209 °C and boils at 195 °C.

All plants and animals must have nitrogen to live. It is part of all amino acids. Plants produce these acids themselves, animals only produce some of them and get the rest by eating other animals and plants,

Nitrogen is also used as a fertilizer, which plants need to grow.



Words

  • acid = a strong liquid that can burn holes in materials or damage your skin
  • amino acid = one of the substances that combine to form proteins
  • atmosphere = the gases around a planet
  • boil = when a liquid becomes hot enough, it turns into a gas
  • bond together = two or more elements become fixed together
  • fertilizer = something that you put into the soil to make plants grow
  • liquid = something that is not solid or a gas, like water