An obsolete name for nitrogen.
Obsolete, nitrogen.

ETYM Latin nitrum natron + -gen: cf. French nitrogčne. Related to Niter.
Colorless, odorless, tasteless, gaseous, nonmetallic element, symbol N, atomic number 7, atomic weight 14.0067. It forms almost 80% of the Earth's atmosphere by volume and is a constituent of all plant and animal tissues (in proteins and nucleic acids). Nitrogen is obtained for industrial use by the liquefaction and fractional distillation of air. Its compounds are used in the manufacture of foods, drugs, fertilizers, dyes, and explosives.
Nitrogen has been recognized as a plant nutrient, found in manures and other organic matter, from early times, long before the complex cycle of nitrogen fixation was understood. It was isolated in 1772 by English chemist Daniel Rutherford (1749–1819) and named in 1790 by French chemist Jean Chaptal (1756–1832).
A common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues; SYN. N, atomic number 7. + prikaži više