Does nitrogen burn?

Answer 1

Nitrogen is an inert gas and will not burn.

Answer 2

Nitrogen doesn't burn because it isn't flammable. Most flammable substances contain hydrocarbons; like coal gasoline, methane, propane etc. Hydrogen is the most flammable substance in the universe. Some Hydrocarbons bonds are loose enough to let the hydrogen out so it can burn. Your body burns sugar (a complex hydrocarbon) for the fuel it needs to make the muscles work. If you look at all the substances that the Department of Transportation (DOT) determines as flammable or inflammable you will find that most are made of hydrocarbons.

Nitrogen is one substance (like the noble gases) that doesn't burn, no matter how high the temperature gets. Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide are two other gases that don’t burn. In fact if any of these gases replace the oxygen in a room then they can put out a fire; starving it of oxygen. A fire needs three things to burn: a fuel, heat (a source of ignition) and oxygen to sustain the chemical reaction that we know as fire. However, Carbon Monoxide is dangerous to breathe, while Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide are not.

The most popular fire extinguisher, the A B type Dry Powder Extinguisher uses carbon dioxide or nitrogen gas to propel the chemicals that put out fires. When you check the extinguisher to see if it is still capable of working you are looking at a gauge that measures the pressure of these gases.

Our atmosphere is mostly Nitrogen. If Nitrogen burned then a forest fire would have the potential to ignite the atmosphere and the entire world. So be glad that Nitrogen doesn’t burn.

rhsaunders is wrong, Nitrogen can be chemically reactive, and used to clean pollution, but it does not act as fuel for a fire.

Answer 3

No. Nitrogen does not burn. Neither does Oxygen. Oxygen simply provides the means by which the burning process is accelerated. People think oxygen burns but it does not. You can throw a lit match into an oxygen tank and it will not explode but the match will burn a lot quicker.

Answer 4

Actually, nitrogen does burn, but reluctantly. One of the functions of the catalytic converter in current automobiles is to reduce the oxides of nitrogen produced by heat and pressure in the cylinders.

Answer 5

Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless diatomic gas. It is found in group Va of the periodic table. It does not burn, does not support combustion, and is only slightly soluble in water. It is relatively inactive chemically, but many of its compounds display marked reactivity. At high temperatures it reacts with some of the other elements to form nitrides.

Answer 6

Nitrogen is basically inert.

Answer 7

yes