Dictionary
ni•tro•gen
Pronunciation: (nī'tru-jun), [key]—
n. Chem.
a colorless, odorless, gaseous element that constitutes about four-fifths of the volume of the atmosphere and is present in combined form in animal and vegetable tissues, esp. in proteins: used chiefly in the manufacture of ammonia, nitric acid, cyanide, explosives, fertilizer, dyes, as a cooling agent, etc.
Symbol: N;
at. wt.: 14.0067;
at. no.: 7;
density: 1.2506 g/l at 0°C and 760 mm pressure.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.