Question

What type of element is nitrogen?

Answer 1

`"A common one........."`

Explanation:

Nitrogen, as the diatomic gas, `N-=N`, makes up some 78% of the atmosphere. The strength of the nitrogen-nitrogen bond makes the element reasonably inert, i.e. unreactive. In fact, many chemists use bottled nitrogen to protect their reactions from atmospheric oxygen and water.

Answer 2

Nitrogen is a non metal of the Group VA with five valance electrons.

Explanation:

As an element nitrogen forms a diatomic molecule. Elemental nitrogen is a non metal gas which makes up approximately 79% of the atmosphere.

Nitrogen has five valance electrons with an electron configuration of
`1s^2s^2 2p^3` This allows Nitrogen to commonly form bonds of -3+3and +5. `N_2`(g) has three bonds holding it together which makes it very strong and unreactive.

Nitrogen is essential to life as it is necessary to the formation of amino acids, proteins and nucleic bases such as DNA and RNA.