The Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen Element

100

What is the atomic number of nitrogen?

7

200

What is the atomic mass of nitrogen?

14

300

At room temperature, what state of matter is nitrogen? (solid, liquid or gas)

gas

400

What is the chemical formula for nitrogen gas in the atmosphere?

N₂

500

Why is nitrogen gas stable and unreactive?

It is bonded to another nitrogen, they share the electrons and have a full octet (they are happy).

Roles of Nitrogen

100

Name 1 of 2 biomolecules nitrogen is a building block of? (If you name both you get double the points)

DNA and amino acids (which make proteins)

200

How might you tell that a plant does not have enough nitrogen?

Yellow leaves

300

What protein do plants make that allows them to photosynthesize?

Chlorophyll

400

How many nitrogenous bases are used to make DNA?

4

(Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine and Thymine)

500

What does DNA stand for?

deoxyribonucleic acid

Nitrogen in the World

100

Approximately what percent of nitrogen is in the atmosphere?

78%

200

What form of nitrogen can be used by organisms?

Nitrate Ion (NO₃^-1)

300

What is the name of the process for converting atmospheric nitrogen into its more useful form?

Nitrogen Fixation

400

What is the name of the process of transforming back to atmospheric nitrogen?

Denitrification

500

What is the name of the method of artificially producing nitrates in a laboratory?

Haber-Bosch Process

Nitrogen Pathways

100

Decomposers break down organisms and convert nitrogen into which of its forms?

Ammonia (NH₃)

200

Nitrogen Fixing bacteria, convert atmospheric nitrogen into which of its other forms?

Ammonia (NH₃)

300

Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia (NH₃) into which of its forms?

Nitrate (NO₃)

400

Nitrogen Fixing bacteria live in little 'bumps' on the roots of plants. What are these little 'bumps' called? 

Nodules

500

Which category of plants have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria? (Provide a specific example for another 100 points)

Legumes

Ex. Soybeans, clover, peas, alfalfa

More Nitrogen

100

Why is the Nitrogen Cycle important?

Because there is only a fixed amount of nitrogen on Earth, all living organisms need it so we need to recycle it or else we'd run out!

200

How do animals get nitrogen?

By eating plants or eating animals have eaten plants

300

Why is rain like free fertilizer?

NO₃ dissolves in the raindrops and falls to the ground where it can be absorbed by plants

400

How does lightning produce NO₃ from the atmospheric nitrogen?

Lightning has LOTS of energy, it splits the atmospheric nitrogen into 2 separate atoms. They often re-bond with oxygen instead. 

500

Why do Nitrogen Fixing bacteria stay with the plants?

The bacteria provide the plant with useable nitrogen, and the plant provides the bacteria with sugar to live