EmailNitrogen is the seventh most abundant element in the universe and is a major constituent of the atmosphere on Titan, the largest of Saturn's 62 moons. (Anomalies in the composition of Titan's atmosphere have led some to suggest that Titan might even harbor life forms).
But here on Earth, nitrogen is a fairly inert gas at room temperature and is the most abundant element in Earth's atmosphere. Nitrogen glows a lovely violet colour when exposed to electrical radiation (right, image courtesy of Jurii/Wikipedia) a characteristic that makes nitrogen lasers easily identifiable from their purple glow. Like carbon, nitrogen is another element that is an indispensable component of all living things, since it is part of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
I couldn't find a cartoon to entertain you kids at the back of the classroom, who are too cool to admit that learning is fun, but this video is still fun:
To review, we've learned a little about these elements:
Carbon: C, atomic number 6
Boron: B, atomic number 5
Beryllium: Be, atomic number 4
Lithium: Li, atomic number 3
Helium: He, atomic number 2
Hydrogen: H, atomic number 1
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