Nitrogen Fixation

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nitrogen fixation, any natural or industrial process that causes free nitrogen (N₂), which is a relatively inert gas plentiful in air, to combine chemically with other elements to form more-reactive nitrogen compounds such as ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites.

Under ordinary conditions, nitrogen does not react with other elements. Yet nitrogenous compounds are found in all fertile soils, in all living things, in many foodstuffs, in coal, and in such naturally occurring chemicals as sodium nitrate (saltpetre) and ammonia. Nitrogen is also found in the nucleus of every living cell as one of the chemical components of DNA.