Question

What is the primary product of nitrogen fixation?

Answer 1

Nitrogen fixation :

1. The conversion of atmospheric, industrial, or biological nitrogen into such usable forms which can be utilized by living organisms is called Nitrogen fixation.
2. Atmospheric Nitrogen fixation takes place through photochemical and electrochemical, reactions due to lightning and thunderstorms
3. Biological Nitrogen fixation takes place through nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as Azotobacter, Azospirillum, and Algae such as Anabaena.
4. Industrial Nitrogen fixation takes place in industries at high temperatures and high pressure.
5. ⁠⁠⁠⁠The primary product of nitrogen fixation is ammonia.
6. In the Nitrogen cycle, the formation of ammonia occurs, and its break down into nitrates and nitrites occurs in four steps: Assimilation, Ammonification, Nitrification, and Denitrification.

Assimilation:

1. The nitrates and nitrites are absorbed by green plants to produce the organic compounds of nitrogen.
2. The nitrates are reduced to ammonia that combines with organic acids to form amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Ammonification:

1. The decomposition of proteins of dead animals and plants to ammonia in the presence of ammonifying bacteria.
2. Bacteria such as Bacillus ramosus and Bacillus vulgaris carry out ammonification.

Nitrification :

1. The process of oxidation of ammonia into nitrites and nitrates in the presence of nitrifying bacteria such as Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter
2. The ammonia is first oxidized into Nitrite in the presence of Nitrosomonas bacteria and this nitrite is further oxidized to Nitrate in the presence of Nitrobacter bacteria .:

Denitrification:

1. The process of conversion of nitrates and nitrites into molecular nitrogen in the presence of denitrifying bacteria is known as denitrification.
2. Bacteria like Thiobacillus denitrificans carry out denitrification.