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Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular dinitrogen (N 2) is converted into ammonia (NH 3). [1] It occurs both biologically and abiologically in chemical industries. Biological nitrogen fixation or diazotrophy is catalyzed by enzymes called nitrogenases. [2]
Most biological nitrogen fixation occurs by the activity of molybdenum (Mo)-nitrogenase, found in a wide variety of bacteria and some Archaea. Mo-nitrogenase is a complex two-component enzyme that has multiple metal-containing prosthetic groups. [22] An example of free-living bacteria is Azotobacter.
Abiological nitrogen fixation describes chemical processes that fix (react with) N 2, usually with the goal of generating ammonia. The dominant technology for abiological nitrogen fixation is the Haber process, which uses iron-based heterogeneous catalysts and H 2 to convert N 2 to NH 3. This article focuses on homogeneous (soluble) catalysts ...
Utilizing a large amount of metabolic energy and the enzyme nitrogenase, some bacteria and cyanobacteria convert atmospheric N 2 to NH 3, a process known as biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). [4] The anthropogenic analogue to BNF is the Haber-Bosch process, in which H 2 is reacted with atmospheric N 2 at high temperatures and pressures to ...
Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via the intermediary nitrite. Nitrification is an important step in the nitrogen cycle in soil. The process of complete nitrification may occur through separate organisms [1] or entirely within one organism, as in comammox bacteria. The transformation of ammonia to nitrite is ...
In the nitrogen cycle, atmospheric nitrogen gas is converted by plants into usable forms such as ammonia and nitrates through the process of nitrogen fixation. These compounds can be used by other organisms, and nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere through denitrification and other processes.
In this biological process, which is a redox comproportionation reaction, nitrite and ammonium ions are converted directly into a diatomic molecule of nitrogen and water. [8] NH + 4 + NO − 2 → N 2 + 2 H 2 O (ΔG° = −357 kJ⋅mol −1). [9] Globally, this process may be responsible for 30–50% of the N 2 gas produced in the oceans. [10]
Nitrogen is the most commonly limiting nutrient in plants. Legumes use nitrogen fixing bacteria, specifically symbiotic rhizobia bacteria, within their root nodules to counter the limitation. Rhizobia bacteria convert nitrogen gas (N 2) to ammonia (NH 3) in a process called nitrogen fixation.