noun

• The chemical element of atomic number 7, a colourless, odourless unreactive gas that forms about 78 per cent of the earth's atmosphere. Liquid nitrogen (made by distilling liquid air) boils at 77.4 kelvins (?195.8°C) and is used as a coolant.

  ‘Plant tissue was ground in liquid nitrogen and the protein extracted as described earlier.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The data demonstrate that nitrogen and phosphorus are in especially short supply.’
  • ‘This may be due to the different functions of nitrogen and phosphorus in the plant.’
  • ‘Real snow was to have been made on site by spraying air, water, and liquid nitrogen under pressure.’
  • ‘A continuous flow of liquid nitrogen is then circulated through the probe into the lung and out again.’
  • ‘The samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen to prevent migration of the fluorescent compounds.’
  • ‘They are formed as a consequence of a layer of nitrogen in the upper atmosphere that also attacks ozone.’
  • ‘Ammonium is the reduced nitrogen form available to plants for assimilation into amino acids.’
  • ‘Their gas mix contains far less nitrogen than their air table or computer assumes they are breathing.’
  • ‘The white clover takes nitrogen from the air and puts it into the soil for the grass to feed on.’
  • ‘Obviously, vigorous shoots in high light attracted more nitrogen from other sources.’
  • ‘These are then carried to the chamber in which the coating will be applied by an inert carrier gas such as nitrogen.’
  • ‘Fertilisers contain high concentrations of nitrogen to help promote the growth of crops.’
  • ‘The study mapped where common heather was contaminated by nitrogen in excess of safety limits.’
  • ‘Seeds were not inoculated with rhizobia and plants were dependent on inorganic nitrogen.’
  • ‘Another approach is to apply less nitrogen and cut silage at the usual time of year.’
  • ‘The absorption of nitrogen by plants plays an important role in their growth.’
  • ‘This is a wasteful process causing a net loss of nitrogen to the animal and pollution of the environment.’
  • ‘This is where the body's tissues have been loaded by nitrogen and micro bubbles have been formed.’
  • ‘They rise during the day to find sunlight and sink to the depths at night, possibly to absorb nitrogen.’