Yes, it is in an elemental state in the atmosphere.
Nitrogen in tyres interesting points
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Yes, it is in an elemental state in the atmosphere.
It is a shame oxygen and nitrogen don't combine more readily, life would be more fun.
Their combined enough. Think about it. If they combined more, say chemically we would have something totally different. JJH
Bit strong for my old bones!!! JJH
I will try and explain.
Firstly - elements refer to the single ‘element’. Such as Hydrogen (H) , Helium (He). etc.
Each element has a series of electrons and excluding the transition metals, these electrons consecutively fill a series of shells, starting from the inner shell and work outwards.
To be stable the shells must be completely full.
The noble gases have these complete shells and hence do not want to lose or gain another electron. This is why they are regarded as inert.
The closer the element is to filling a shell the more reactive it is e.g chlorine and Hydrogen.
The filling of these shell can either be filled by donating/accepting an electron or by sharing.
Nitrogen need to acquire three electrons or lose five electrons to have a complete outer shell - this is difficult- it is easier to gain three. However so much energy is required that it shares these with another nitrogen atom.
Hence nitrogen exists in the atmosphere as N2
Similar with Oxygen but in this case it requires two electrons to complete the outer shell. So Oxygen exists in the atmosphere as O2.
When oxygen reacts with another element this initial bond has to be broken (requires energy), sometimes by heat, sometimes by the attractive force of another element but this energy requirement can be reduced by the use of a catalyst.
An example of a catalyst is in the motor car where, without it, the temperature required to breakdown the pollutants would need to be much higher
This post started out as a debate about air vs nitrogen in tyres, pro - cons.
In the usual manner the post has escelated, however in a polite and informative way
One major factor that favors nitrogen replacing air in tyres that have not been mentioned is the moisture in the air.
Nitrogen is usually used in heavy vehicles and airplanes.
The lack of oxygen and fire safety has been mentioned. Additionally, on the above mentioned vehicles, quite often the brakes are embedded inside the rim. Combined this with heavy weight of the vehicle, the brakes may heath up the entire wheel quite substantially. When the air get warmed up the water in the air turnes into steam and the steam expands way more than a regular gas warming up to the same temperature. This heavy expansion combined with initial high tyre pressure makes it more safe to use nitrogen in tyre rather than air.
None of these advantages would be relevant in motorcycles used for street riding.
In the usual manner the post has escelated, however in a polite and informative way
One major factor that favors nitrogen replacing air in tyres that have not been mentioned is the moisture in the air.
Nitrogen is usually used in heavy vehicles and airplanes.
The lack of oxygen and fire safety has been mentioned. Additionally, on the above mentioned vehicles, quite often the brakes are embedded inside the rim. Combined this with heavy weight of the vehicle, the brakes may heath up the entire wheel quite substantially. When the air get warmed up the water in the air turnes into steam and the steam expands way more than a regular gas warming up to the same temperature. This heavy expansion combined with initial high tyre pressure makes it more safe to use nitrogen in tyre rather than air.
None of these advantages would be relevant in motorcycles used for street riding.
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