Nitrogen Compounds

The two most common compounds of nitrogen are Potassium Nitrate (KNO₃) and Sodium Nitrate (NaNO₃). These two compounds are formed by decomposing organic matter that has potassium or sodium present and are often found in fertilizers and byproducts of industrial waste. Most nitrogen compounds have a positive Gibbs free energy (i.e., reactions are not spontaneous). 

Figure 1.1

: Lewis Dot structure of molecular nitrogen

The dinitrogen molecule (N2) is an "unusually stable" compound, particularly because nitrogen forms a triple bond with itself. This triple bond is difficult hard to break. For dinitrogen to follow the octet rule, it must have a triple bond. Nitrogen has a total of 5 valence electrons, so doubling that, we would have a total of 10 valence electrons with two nitrogen atoms. The octet requires an atom to have 8 total electrons in order to have a full valence shell, therefore it needs to have a triple bond. The compound is also very inert, since it has a triple bond. Triple bonds are very hard to break, so they keep their full valence shell instead of reacting with other compounds or atoms. Think of it this way, each triple bond is like a rubber band, with three rubber bands, the nitrogen atoms are very attracted to each other.