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What is Nitrogen?
The nitrogen content of the air we normally breath
in is around 78 %, making it the main constituent of
air. The fact that nitrogen is a chemical element was
discovered relatively late in the history of science,
mainly because, under normal laboratory conditions,
it is a an element that is inert to most chemical reactions.
In 1772, Henry Cavendish discovered
nitrogen when he passed air over glowing charcoals.
Through observation, he noticed that after separating
the carbon dioxides another residual gas was present.
Since then scientists have discovered that Nitrogen,
as a constituent of human and animal albumen, is indispensable
for life. Yet, very few living beings can utilise the
Nitrogen found in the air directly, exceptions being
some plants such a clover, beans, etc., which are able
to convert nitrogen via bacteria's in the roots into
useful compounds. A field of clover of 1 hectare in
size, for example, is able to bind between 200 and 400
kg Nitrogen.
Good agricultural soil contains, in different compounds,
between 5 and 10 tons of nitrogen per hectare. The column
of air that sits above this field, though, contains
10,000 times as much again. Obviously, nitrogen is a
very common and necessary element for life.
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