No, molecular nitrogen is not used as fuel.
Why Nitrogen Isn't Used as Fuel
Molecular nitrogen (N₂), which makes up about 78% of the Earth's atmosphere on a dry basis, is an extremely stable molecule. This stability is the primary reason it cannot be easily used as a fuel.
According to the reference provided: "Molecular nitrogen... is not used as a fuel because IT HAS NO AVAILABLE CHEMICAL ENERGY. There's nothing available which is cheap enough or plentiful enough to react with it rapidly enough to serve as fuel."
Here's a breakdown of why this is the case:
- Lack of Available Chemical Energy: Fuels store energy in their chemical bonds that can be released when they react with an oxidizer (like oxygen) in a process like combustion. Nitrogen molecules have very strong triple bonds between the two nitrogen atoms (N≡N). Breaking these bonds requires a significant amount of energy, and forming new, more stable bonds that would release net energy in a reaction is not readily possible under normal conditions or with readily available, cheap reactants.
- Inert Nature: Due to the strong triple bond, nitrogen is largely inert. It doesn't easily react with other substances. For something to be a practical fuel, it needs to react relatively easily and quickly to release energy on demand.
- No Suitable Oxidizer/Reactant: While nitrogen can react under extreme conditions (like those in lightning strikes or industrial processes), there isn't any substance that is both cheap and plentiful enough to react with atmospheric nitrogen rapidly and efficiently to release energy like a fuel does.
| Characteristic | Fuel (e.g., Methane, Gasoline) | Molecular Nitrogen (N₂) |
|---|---|---|
| Available Energy | High Chemical Energy | No Available Chemical Energy |
| Reactivity (with O₂) | Highly Reactive (Combustion) | Largely Inert |
| Energy Release | Releases Energy (Exothermic) | Requires Energy to React (Generally) |
In summary, despite its abundance, molecular nitrogen lacks the fundamental characteristic of a fuel: readily available chemical energy that can be released through a reaction.
