What Is Nitrogen Oxide?
Nitrogen oxide is a general term for oxides of nitrogen.
There are different types of nitrogen oxide, ranging from I to V in oxidation number. Examples include nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen trioxide (NO3), dinitrogen monoxide (N2O), dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3), dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), and dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5).
Uses of Nitrogen Oxide
Nitrogen oxide is the general term for nitrogen oxides, of which nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and dinitrogen monoxide (N2O) are the most commonly used.
1. Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is used as a bleaching agent in rayon and as a raw material in the manufacture of semiconductors. It is also used as an intermediate in the production of nitric acid.
2. Nitrogen Dioxide
Nitrogen dioxide is used as a dissolving and decomposing agent for analytical samples, as well as a bleaching agent, catalyst, and nitrosating agent for organic machine compounds. It is also used as an oxidizing agent in raw materials for explosives, rocket fuel, and polymerization inhibitors.
Other uses include synthetic raw materials and intermediates for other compounds, such as nitric acid.
3. Dinitrogen Monoxide
Dinitrogen monoxide is widely used for anesthesia in dentistry, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. It is also used in industry as a semiconductor material and carrier gas for atomic absorption analysis, as well as for leak detection, refrigerants, and filling balloons and tires with gas.
Characteristics of Nitrogen Oxide
Nitrogen oxide has different characteristics depending on its type. The characteristics of typical types are as follows:
1. Nitric Oxide
It is a colorless gas at room temperature with a melting point of -164°C and a boiling point of -152°C. Its liquid and solid forms are blue. It is immediately oxidized to nitrogen oxide upon contact with air.
Nitric oxide is also produced in the body and is transported to the smooth muscle of arteries. Nitric oxide increases the flexibility of smooth muscle and prevents atherosclerosis.
By keeping blood vessels flexible it prevents fatty deposits in the blood vessels and blood flow from deteriorating.
2. Nitrogen Dioxide
A reddish-brown gas produced when heavy metal nitrates are heated, with a melting point of -9.3°C and a boiling point of 21.3°C. The liquid is yellow, and the solid is colorless. It dissolves in water to form corrosive nitric acid, so moisture must be strictly controlled during storage and use.
It is produced by mixing air (oxygen) with nitrogen monoxide, which is produced by the catalytic oxidation of ammonia.
3. Nitrogen Oxide
Nitrogen oxide is an unstable, dark blue gas. It is produced by the reaction of nitrogen oxide and ozone, and is extremely unstable.
4. Dinitrogen Monoxide
Also called nitrogen oxide, this colorless gas has a melting point of -91°C and a boiling point of -89°C. It is nonflammable and stable. It is a stable, nonflammable gas. It is called laughing gas because it is characterized by its anesthetic and analgesic effects, and when inhaled causes facial muscles to twitch, giving the appearance of laughing.
It is industrially produced by decomposing the raw material, 80% ammonium nitrate solution, in a reaction tank maintained at approximately 250°C by dropping the solution at a constant flow rate, or by directly oxidizing ammonia with a catalyst.
5. Dinitrogen Oxide
A brown gas at room temperature, it has a melting point of -102°C, a boiling point of 3.5°C, and a blue color in liquid and solid form. When dissolved in water, it becomes nitrous acid, which further decomposes into nitric acid, nitric oxide, and water.
6. Dinitrogen Tetroxide
It is a pale yellow gas with a melting point of -9.3°C and a boiling point of 21.2°C. Nitrogen oxide can be cooled to yield dinitrogen tetroxide solid.
7. Dinitrogen Pentoxide
A colorless, deliquescent solid with a melting point of 30°C. It decomposes at 47°C to nitrogen oxide and oxygen, but is stable when stored below 0°C in the dark. It reacts violently with water to form nitric acid.
Other Information on Nitrogen Oxide
Effects of Nitrogen Oxide on the Environment and Living Organisms
Among nitrogen oxides, nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide have been reduced in terms of air pollution, as they cause photochemical smog and acid rain. Sources of nitrogen oxide include factories, thermal power plants, automobiles, and homes.
Nitrogen in petroleum, coal, and chemical raw materials can be generated by combining with oxygen, or it can be generated by nitrogen in the air reacting with oxygen when exposed to high temperatures. Nitrogen monoxide is gradually oxidized to nitrogen dioxide by oxygen in the air, so that even if nitrogen monoxide is present immediately after generation, most of it is considered to be nitrogen dioxide in the ambient air.
High concentrations of nitrogen oxide will increase the risk of coughing, sputum production, and respiratory illness. Nitrogen oxide also reacts with moisture in the atmosphere to form nitric acid, which, when mixed with rain and snow, causes acid rain.
Furthermore, nitrogen oxide is exposed to ultraviolet light, causing a photochemical reaction that produces photochemical oxidants (Ox). When the concentration of these photochemical oxidants in the atmosphere increases, a white, hazy fog-like condition known as photochemical smog occurs. Photochemical oxidants can cause eye pain, headaches, and nausea.