nitrogen
The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.
DEFINITION:
- nitrogen
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1. A colorless, gaseous element found free in the air; symbol, N; specific gravity, 0.9713; atomic number, 7; atomic weight, 14.007. It constitutes part of the atmosphere, forming about four fifths of common air. Chemically, it is almost inert, but forms by combination nitric acid and ammonia. Nitrogen is important biologically, being a constituent of protein and nucleic acids and thus present in all living cells. It is a gas unfitted to support respiration: not a poison, but proving fatal if breathed alone, because of the want of oxygen. It is soluble in the blood and body fluids and when released as bubbles of gas by reduction of atmospheric pressure causes serious symptoms.
2. N2; nitrogen containing not less than 99 per cent, by volume, of N2. It is used to replace air in pharmaceutical preparations.
Used in 1 Proceeding translation
Used in 1 Proceeding translation