Nitrogen is an odorless, tasteless, colorless nonmetallic chemical element which appears in great abundance in the Earth's atmosphere. It also appears in a number of other compounds, and is a vital component of life on Earth for many organisms. In addition to inhaling nitrogen with every breath, most organisms also consume it in their food on a daily basis. Numerous different forms of nitrogen are commercially available, from the supercoolant liquid nitrogen to nitrous oxide, a type of anesthetic.
The gas is the lightest of the nitrogen group of chemical elements, with the atomic number seven. It is identified on the periodic table of elements by the symbol N. Other elements in the nitrogen group include bismuth, antimony, and arsenic. Like other elements in this group, nitrogen forms strong bonds with other elements, because its outermost electron shell is lacking three electrons. These bonds make nitrogen very stable, which is why it is sometimes used as a buffer gas.
