Nitrogen
A diatomic gas making up most of Earth's atmosphere.
Inside the Nitrogen atom
Switch between Bohr and Quantum Cloud modes to compare a simple teaching model with a more realistic probability-based view, and follow the guided tour to explore the Nitrogen atom step by step.
Electron configuration
[He] 2s2 2p3
A neutral Nitrogen atom has 7 electrons (equal to its proton count). Choosing a different isotope above changes only the neutron count.
Shell distribution
Electrons fill inner shells before outer ones; the outermost (valence) shell drives the element's chemistry.
Physical & atomic properties
- State (room temp)
- Gas
- Melting point
- 63 K (-210 °C)
- Boiling point
- 77 K (-196 °C)
- Density
- 0.0012506 g/cm³
- Electronegativity
- 3.04 Pauling
- Atomic radius
- 65 pm
- 1st ionization energy
- 1402 kJ/mol
- Category
- Reactive nonmetals
Discovery & naming
- Discovered
- 1772
- Discovered by
- Daniel Rutherford
- Origin of name
- Greek 'nitron genes', forming saltpetre.
Notable uses
Fertilizers, explosives, and an inert protective atmosphere.
Where Nitrogen comes from
Stellar fusion and dying stars
Cycled out of the CNO fusion cycle and shed by dying low- and intermediate-mass stars.
Simplified origin map — many elements form through more than one astrophysical pathway.
Summary
- Atomic number
- 7
- Atomic mass
- 14.007
- Category
- Reactive nonmetals
- Group · Period
- 15 · 2
- Block
- p-block
- Shells
- 2 · 5