Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a colourless, odorless, tasteless diatomic gas constituting about 4/5 (four fifth) of the atmosphere by volume. It is slightly soluble in water and in alcohol. Nitrogen is the 17^th most abundant element of the Earth’s crust. There it is found in mineral compounds, such as saltpeter (NaNO3). Compounds of nitrogen are essential constituents of all living organisms. The proteins and nucleic acids in particular are basic building blocks of all living life forms.

Nitrogen forms a series of oxides and oxyacids. The most important of them is nitric acid, HNO3. It also unites with hydrogen to form ammonia, NH3. With many of the metallic elements it forms nitrides.

The organic compounds of nitrogen, however, are more numerous and variegated than the organic ones. They include the amines or substituted ammonia; the nitro series to which many explosives belong; the amides, e.g. nylon; the dyestuffs, and a wide variety of other chemical compounds.

Vocabulary

odour - запах taste - смак to constitute - складати about - приблизно by volume – за об’ємом soluble - розчинний alcohol - спирт abundant - рясний the Earth’s crust – кора земної кулі saltpeter – (калієва) селітра essential – природна селітра constituent – складова частина protein - білок nucleic acid – нуклеїнова кислота in particular – зокрема basic building block – основний структурний матеріал

oxide - окис oxyacid – киснева кислота nitric acid – азотна кислота to unite – з’єднувати ammonia - аміак nitride – нітрид numerous - багаточисленний variegated – різноманітний amine – амін substituted - заміщений nitro series - нітро-серії explosive – вибухова речовина amide – амід (хімічна сполука) dyestuff – барвник

Exercises

1. Match English word combinations with their Ukrainian equivalents.

1. essential constituents

2. proteins and nucleic acids

3. basic building blocks

4. a series of oxides and oxyacids

5. organic compounds of nitrogen

а. серія окисів і кисневих кислот

b. основні структурні елементи всіх форм живих істот

c. білки і нуклеїнові кислоти

d. органічні сполуки азоту

e. основні складові частини

2. Answer the questions.

1. What kind of gas is nitrogen?

2. Is nitrogen soluble in water and alcohol?

3. In what mineral compounds is nitrogen found in nature?

4. What is the formula for nitric acid?

5. Which are more numerous: the organic compounds of nitrogen or the inorganic ones?

6. Give some examples of inorganic compounds of nitrogen?