Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a colourless gas that makes up about four-fifths of Earth's atmosphere.
Nitrogen surrounds us as a gas, but living things need it in usable compounds.
Explore Nitrogen's atom- Atomic number
- 7
- Standard atomic weight
- [14.00643, 14.00728]
- Family
- Nonmetal
- Period
- 2
- Group
- 15
- Standard state
- Gas
In everyday life
Proteins and DNA contain nitrogen; fertilisers supply it to crops.
Something to remember
Nitrogen makes up about 78% of dry air by volume.
Meet its electrons
[He] 2s2 2p3
Published neutral-atom ground-state configuration; excited atoms and ions can differ.
Electrons per shell: 2 · 5.
The playground shows an illustrative shell model. Real electrons are described by quantum orbitals, rather than tiny planets traveling along fixed paths.
A connection to explore
Nitrogen and hydrogen form ammonia, NH₃, a starting point for many fertilisers.
Meet Hydrogen (H)Properties and conditions
- Standard atomic weight
- [14.00643, 14.00728]CIAAW 2024 standard atomic weight (dimensionless). The interval reflects variation in normal terrestrial isotope compositions, not measurement uncertainty. Source flags: m.CIAAW standard atomic weights ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Standard state
- GasPubChem classification, including explicit predictions where stated. Reference temperature and pressure are not supplied in the table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- First ionisation energy
- 14.534 eVEnergy to remove the first electron from an isolated neutral gas-phase atom. Uncertainty is not supplied.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Electronegativity
- 3.04 Pauling scaleA dimensionless relative measure; values depend on the chosen scale. Uncertainty is not supplied.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Melting point
- 63.15 KPubChem reported value. Pressure, allotrope and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; consult the cited source.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Boiling point
- 77.36 KPubChem reported value. Pressure and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; consult the cited source.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Density
- 0.0012506 g/cm³PubChem reported value. Temperature, pressure, allotrope and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; gas densities are especially condition-dependent.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Oxidation states
- +5, +4, +3, +2, +1, -1, -2, -3Selected PubChem oxidation states; formal electron bookkeeping, not a list of stable free-ion charges or every possible compound.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Discovery
- 1772PubChem discovery attribution. Ancient knowledge and competing priority claims cannot always be represented by a single year.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Atomic radius
- 155 pmPubChem tabulated radius. Radius definitions depend on bonding and convention; measurement definition and uncertainty are not supplied in this table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Electron affinity
- Not reportedPubChem reported gas-phase electron affinity. Sign conventions and electronic states matter; uncertainty is not supplied in this table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
Isotopes, abundance and decay
Isotopes share a proton count but have different neutron counts. This selection includes naturally tabulated compositions and a reference isotope for other elements. It is not a list of every known isotope.
Explore 2 isotopes of N
| Isotope | Relative atomic mass | Natural fraction | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N-14 | 14.00307400443(20) | 0.99636(20) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| N-15 | 15.00010889888(64) | 0.00364(20) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
Fractions use NIST’s terrestrial isotopic compositions, which can vary by sample. Parentheses denote uncertainty in the last digits. Half-lives and decay branches use NUBASE2020; # marks estimates, >/< mark limits. “No decay observed” follows that evaluation and does not prove permanent stability. Decay branch intensities are percentages; SF means spontaneous fission, EC electron capture, IT an isomeric transition.
Follow the science
Use these original references to explore the data and context. Atomic weights can vary with isotope composition; values for elements without stable isotopes may describe a representative isotope rather than a standard atomic weight.