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Joined 2026-09-21 Message
Incoming links: Dinitrogen
Dinitrogen 2026-11-05
Dinitrogen is the diatomic molecule , consisting of two nitrogen atoms joined by a strong triple bond. It is the principal molecular form of nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere. A nitrogen atom incorporated in a protein belongs to the same chemical element, but is not a dinitrogen molecule.[ref]
Chemistry 2e by Paul Flowers and others. §18.7, atmospheric N2 and its nitrogen–nitrogen triple bond
The reactionillustrates the bookkeeping: one dinitrogen molecule supplies the two nitrogen atoms in two Ammonia molecules. Breaking and replacing its strong bond requires suitable reaction pathways and conditions. Its abundance therefore does not mean that organisms can automatically use it as a source of chemically available nitrogen.[ref]
Chemistry 2e by Paul Flowers and others. §18.7, low reactivity, ammonia synthesis and biological nitrogen fixation
Timothy T. Bergsma 2026-11-05
Timothy T. Bergsma developed field measurements of nitrogen gas losses from soil. His 2001 study measured both nitrous oxide and dinitrogen using enrichment with the stable isotope nitrogen-15 and mass spectrometry. Modification of the instrument's head amplifier enabled analysis of nitrous oxide as well as dinitrogen.[ref]
Measuring simultaneous fluxes from soil of N2O and N2 in the field using the 15N-gas nonequilibrium technique by Timothy T. Bergsma and others. Abstract and Methods, Environ. Sci. Technol. 35, 4307–4312
Measuring both gases matters for denitrification: a soil can lose nitrogen without releasing the same fraction as nitrous oxide. An isotope label helps distinguish newly generated gas from the large atmospheric background of dinitrogen, making the chemical partition of the loss experimentally accessible.