Who Discovered Nitrogen
By: Want To Know It
Nitrogen is a chemical element with the symbol N and has an atomic number of 7. Nitrogen is a very important element for organisms and in industry. Nitrogen is a very important part of amino acids and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). But who discovered nitrogen? This article will answer just that question and also look at four interesting facts about nitrogen.
Who Discovered Nitrogen
Nitrogen was discovered by David Rutherford in 1772. He called it noxious air or fixed air. By the late 18th century, most chemists knew of this fraction of air (nitrogen with some other gases) that did not combust. A few years after 1772, nitrogen was also studied by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Henry Cavendish, and Joseph Priestley. They referred to it as burnt air or phlogisticated air. Through various studies it was shown that animals suffocated in nitrogen. We now know that this is because animals breathe oxygen and will suffocate if there is no oxygen.
Compounds of nitrogen were known in the Middle Ages. Nitric acid was called ‘strong water’ and a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid was celebrated for its amazing ability to dissolve gold. Potassium nitrate was also used hundreds of years ago in gunpowder and more recently as fertilizer. So now you know who discovered nitrogen. Now let’s look at four amazing facts about nitrogen.
Four Facts about Nitrogen
Fact 1: Nitrogen is fairly unreactive at standard temperature and pressure. It is very unreactive due to the strong triple bond in a nitrogen molecule that is difficult to break down. Nitrogen does, however, form a variety of different compounds with transition metals.
Fact 2: Nitrogen gas is colorless, tasteless and odorless.
Fact 3: Nitrogen gas is the most abundant gas in the air. It constitutes 78% of the air.
Fact 4: Some bacteria ‘fix’ nitrogen, converting it to forms that are more useful to plants.
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14 Comments for Who Discovered Nitrogen
1. Shahid wasim | September 12th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Nitrogen was discoverd by Daniel Kutherford
2. timjon | September 12th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I just checked in my chemistry textbook and it says Daniel Rutherford, not Kutherford. Several other sources online also confirm that the name is Rutherford.
3. chinaman | September 18th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Hi
Where did you get words for this paper? From your head???
4. timjon | September 18th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Most of the information comes from my studies at University. So I mainly use text books and lecture notes (and, yes, what I remember from my head). As I mentioned in my last comment above, I also use some websites to check all my facts.
5. Nitrogen Man | October 1st, 2008 at 12:59 am
Um how long was nitrogen being used ?
6. timjon | October 1st, 2008 at 7:08 am
For thousands of years. The ‘middle ages’ were between 400AD and 1500AD so it was being used during this time period.
7. dawg the geek | February 13th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Yes, it is Rutherford.
8. kenzie | October 6th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
good info thanks alot
9. natilie | October 19th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
im at school i just want to tell you that this Daniel Rutherford is my great great great great great great great grandfather…..i think
10. Justin | October 21st, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Thanks alot for this useful information it helped me alot with my science project
11. Maya | October 30th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
How do we use Nitrogen today and how will it help us in the future?
12. Want to know it | November 3rd, 2009 at 7:46 am
Nitrogen is used for many things including:
- Preserving the freshness of packaged foods
- Used in light bulbs (as an alternative to argon)
- To produce electronic parts such as transistors and diodes
- Fill aircraft tires
- Manufacture stainless steel
In the future, nitrogen may be used to power cars. This will produce far less pollution.
13. Revant | March 11th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Thanks, very helpful for my science project
14. Donshea Pope | March 24th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
it is a very good thing that it was discovered
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