Q & A: Photos of Nitrogen

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Q:

Hey! I need a picture of nitrogen, not the atomic structure but nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen would work too. Thanks
- Dave
USA

A:

Dave -

The problem with getting a picture of nitrogen is that at 'normal' temperatures, nitrogen is a gas. Not just that, but it's an invisible gas. Nitrogen gas makes up about 70% of the air that you breath - you see it every day.

Liquid nitrogen, however, is a bit easier to photograph. Liquid nitrogen is basically just gaseous nitrogen that's been cooled down so much that it's turned into a liquid. It's about 320 degrees F below zero. But cool as that is, it still looks a lot like water, since it's clear. What does look pretty interesting is the vapor clouds that you get around it as it warms up and evaporates. You can find a lot of pictures of liquid nitrogen on our site (since we use it at all of our shows), but here's just a few of my favorites:


-Tamara

(published on 10/22/2007)

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