why does lightning cause nitrogen in the airto combine with oxygen?

Question

why does this not happen under normal atmospheric conditions?

Answer 1

You need extreme pressures and heat usually above 1600°C (2900°F), not possible under normal atmospheric conditions.

Lighting bolt usually cause air to heat upto very high temperatures.

So nitrogen(78%) of air doesnot combine with oxygen(21%) under normal conditions!

Answer 2

Lightning Nitrogen

Answer 3

A lightning bolt comes from a very high voltage difference forming between the clouds and the ground. The path of a flash follows these places were nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the atmosphere get ionized (that is they get an electric charge + or -) by the enormous electric field resulting from the above-mentioned voltage difference. It's all it takes to have nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) atoms combining to form gaseous NO whose characteristic smell you get to feel right after you had a lightning bolt in your close neighborhood.

Answer 4

The chemistry of lightning is sometimes thought of as predominantly the chemistry of the hot (≈ 30,000K) lightning channel, the large radial electric fields (> breakdown strength of air) surrounding the lightning channel results in high ion and electron production rates in the "corona sheath". Additionally, the high-temperature lightning channel releases large amounts of short-wavelength, ionizing, UV radiation (λmax ≈ 100nm) that is absorbed in the surrounding region.

The main component of the nitrogen cycle starts with the element nitrogen in the air. Two nitrogen oxides are found in the air as a result of interactions with oxygen. Nitrogen will only react with oxygen in the presence of high temperatures and pressures found near lightning bolts and in combustion reactions in power plants or internal combustion engines. Nitric oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2, are formed under these conditions. Eventually nitrogen dioxide may react with water in rain to form nitric acid, HNO3. The nitrates thus formed may be utilized by plants as a nutrient.

Lightning forces nitrogen and oxygen to combine with the water of the rain and carries the nitrogen down into the soil. This causes natural nitrogen fertilizer which is used by plants.

Answer 5

The strong bonds of molecular nitrogen (N2) can be broken by the powerful energy released by lightning in our atmosphere, allowing nitrogen to react with oxygen. See below reaction:

(lightning)
N2 + O2 -----------> 2 NO (nitric oxide)

The nitrous oxide formed combines with oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide.

2 NO + O2 ---> 2NO2

Nitrogen dioxide readily dissolves in water to product nitric and nitrous acids;

2 NO2 + H2O ----> HNO3 + HNO2

These acids readily release the hydrogen forming nitrate and nitrite ions which is a form of nitrogen easily used by plants and micro-organisms.

HNO3 -----> H+ + NO3- (nitrate ions)
HNO2 -----> H+ + NO2- (nitrite ions)

If you plant a garden in the summer, especially tomatoes, watch what happens to them after a thunderstorm. I have seen mine go from sickly looking to very tasty after just one thunderstorm.

Here's more on the nitrogen cycle:
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9s.html

Answer 6

Because lightning is very, very HOT and that heat is needed to get them to combine.

Answer 7

Because it takes 1.21 gigawatts of power.