Dinitrogen is the major component of the Earth's atmosphere.
IUPAC name:
Dinitrogen
Layman's explanation:
Diatomic nitrogen is a colorless and odorless gas that is rather inert at ambient temperatures due to its strong triple bond. It is the most prevalent gas in Earth's atmosphere, comprising 78.1 % by volume. Nitrogen filled Earth's early atmosphere as it boiled off from the planetary matter forming the Earth some 4.5 billion years ago. On present day Earth, nitrogen participates in the nitrogen cycle, a process by which inert dinitrogen in the atmosphere is reduced and converted into accessible forms of nitrogen (ammonia, ammonium, and nitrate) that can be directly incorporated into living cells. This "nitrogen fixing" process is energy costly and can only be carried out by a few type of bacteria that are often found in close proximity to plants (e.g., Rhizobia living in the roots of Legumes). The cycle is closed as fixed nitrogen returns to the soil through decomposition of dead vegetation and is eventually reduced to diatomic nitrogen by bacteria in a process called denitrification. Humans have learned through ingenuity how to fix diatomic nitrogen and convert it to ammonia through the development of the Haber-Bosch process. Another anthropogenic transformation of dinitrogen is through combustion in the engines of automobiles or power plants. In this case, dinitrogen and oxygen from air react at high temperature and pressure to produce nitrogen oxides, the chemical precursors of smog.
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