ScienceIQ.com

Two Face? Absolutely!

During the Viking missions to Mars in the mid 1970s, the planet was imaged from orbit by the Viking 1 and 2 Orbiters. These spacecraft returned images of regions of the planet that, while similar to geological features on Earth, are vastly different. One of the areas viewed by the Viking 1 Orbiter as it searched for potential landing sites was a ...

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TwoFaceAbsolutely
Geology

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are perhaps one of the most terrifying manifestations of weather. Luckily for the rest of the world, they occur most frequently in the United States. A typical tornado season may see as many ... Continue reading

Tornadoes
Chemistry

Liquid Glass Is All Wet

As a liquid changes to a solid, its molecules go from a state of turmoil and chaos to a state of order. As these molecules slow down to form a solid, they arrange themselves into a crystalline ... Continue reading

LiquidGlass
Physics

Coming In Strong On Your AM Dial

The AM radio dial would be nothing but chaos and noise without a very basic rule - turn down the power at night. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) controls and regulates the airwaves in the ... Continue reading

AMRadioWaves
Engineering

Hydropower Basics

Flowing water creates energy that can be captured and turned into electricity. This is called hydropower. Hydropower is currently the largest source of renewable power, generating nearly 10% of the ... Continue reading

HydropowerBasics

Nitrogen Gas and Compounds

NitrogenGasandCompoundsNitrogen is a very interesting element. It is the seventh element of the periodic table, with seven electrons in its atoms. The somewhat unique combination of electronic structure and small atomic size makes it possible for as many as five of its electrons to be involved in bonding with other atoms. Nitrogen bonds very readily with other atoms to produce a bewildering variety of compounds, and is one essential component of amino acids, which are necessary for all life as we know it. Fortunately, there is no shortage of nitrogen in the world; the air that surrounds the planet is about 78% nitrogen. But there is a huge difference between the nitrogen we breathe and the nitrogen in amino acids.

Nitrogen gas is a diatomic molecule consisting of just two nitrogen atoms bonded very strongly to each other, while the nitrogen in amino acids and other compounds is just a single nitrogen atom bonded relatively weakly to a carbon atom and two other atoms. There are no chemical mechanisms in our bodies to convert nitrogen gas into free nitrogen atoms. In fact, the N to N bond in nitrogen gas is so strong that the single nitrogen atoms in amino acids and other compounds will spontaneously reform into nitrogen gas as those compounds break down. So how do we get those single atoms in the first place?

All life on this planet and probably wherever else there is life in the universe, owes its continued existence to a few varieties of bacteria that live in the soil. These are the 'nitrogen fixing' bacteria. Part of the life process of these bacteria is to 'fix' or 'tie down' free nitrogen gas from the air by converting it into atomic forms that can be taken up and used by plants and other organisms. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria use an enzyme-catalyzed biochemical process to carry out this conversion. Plants then use the fixed nitrogen to produce chlorophyll and other nitrogen-containing compounds. Animals that eat the plants thus acquire that nitrogen and use it to build amino acids and proteins, and life goes on.