Is N2 Polar or Nonpolar?

Answer: N2 is a nonpolar molecule because there is no electronegativity difference across the linear structure because the molecules are identical. This means that there are no permanent dipoles within the structure. 

Nitrogen is one of the most important elements on earth since it has a wide variety of applications. Due to the nonpolar properties and relatively few electrons, the compound has a quite low melting point of -210˚C and a boiling point of -196˚C. This means that the compound is a gas at standard temperature and pressure. It makes up about 78% of earth's atmosphere. Lavoisier, who is most noted for discovering oxygen (O2),  gave the compound the name azote which is what the compound is called in many languages in the present day.

N2 Ball and Stick Diagram. Created with MolView.

How is nitrogen (N2) utilized in the real world?

Although nitrogen is approx. 78% of the atmosphere, only 3% of the compounds in the human body involve nitrogen of some kind, especially amine groups. However this is enough for an entire nitrogen cycle to exist which filters these nitrogen-containing molecules through an entire cycle between earth and atmosphere. It is utilized in fertilizers for agricultural applications. Liquid nitrogen is commonly utilized as a refrigerant to keep items in especially freezing conditions. Nitrogen-containing compounds even make up the material that we know as Kevlar which is an incredibly strong and durable protective shield. There are some many ways that N2 is utilized however these applications often rely on nitrogen-containing compounds rather than pure nitrogen. Therefore this listing will end; however, we recommend checking out some of our other articles concerning carbon-compounds within the "polarity" series. Click on the "polarity" sidebar tag in order to see the whole selection!