Nitrogen and Nitrogen Family

Flashcards on Nitrogen and the Nitrogen Family, covering properties, preparation, uses, and the nitrogen cycle.

What are the elements included in Group VA (Nitrogen Family)?

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Arsenic, Antimony, and Bismuth

Contrast the physical states and allotropic behavior of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Arsenic, Antimony, and Bismuth.

Nitrogen is a diatomic gas, while Phosphorus is a typical non-metal exhibiting allotropy. Arsenic and Antimony are metalloids, and Bismuth is a metal.

What is a key chemical property of Nitrogen compared to other elements in Group VA?

Nitrogen is the most electronegative element in the group and forms various compounds with metals and non-metals.

What is the electronic configuration of Nitrogen?

7: 1s2 2s2 2p3

How can Nitrogen be obtained from air in the laboratory?

Pass air through caustic soda to remove CO2 and then over heated copper turnings to remove O2.

Give an example of a chemical method to prepare pure Nitrogen in the laboratory using ammonium dioxonitrate (III).

Thermal decomposition of ammonium dioxonitrate (III): NaNO2(aq) + NH4Cl(aq) → NH4NO2(aq) + NaCl(aq) followed by NH4NO2(aq) → 2H2O(l) + N2(g)

How is Nitrogen prepared industrially?

Fractional distillation of liquid air

What are the key physical properties of Nitrogen?

Colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas.

What are some key chemical properties of Nitrogen related to its reactivity?

Reacts with electropositive metals to form nitrides (e.g., 3Mg(s) + N2(g) → Mg3N2(s)) and with hydrogen and oxygen to form ammonia and oxides.

What are the primary industrial uses of Nitrogen?

Manufacture of ammonia, cooling agent (liquid nitrogen), and preservative in packaged foods.

How is atmospheric nitrogen converted to soil nitrogen through oxidation?

Nitrogen and oxygen combine during lightning and thunderstorms to form oxides of nitrogen, which dissolve in rainwater to form acids that go into the soil.

What role do nitrogen-fixing bacteria play in the nitrogen cycle?

Rhizobium in root nodules of leguminous plants convert atmospheric nitrogen into organic nitrogenous compounds.

How does the decay of organic matter contribute to the nitrogen cycle?

Putrefying bacteria and fungi convert organic nitrogenous compounds to ammonia, which nitrifying bacteria like Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter convert to trioxonitrate (V).

What is denitrification and how does it affect the nitrogen cycle?

Denitrifying bacteria convert trioxonitrate (V) salt in the soil to gaseous nitrogen, which escapes into the atmosphere.