NITROGEN PRODUCTS 



5783 



NIVELLE 



>ic acid (N,H). Nitrogen 



(i>iii|M>iindB with the Imloid .-! 

 monta aluo occur, nitrogen chl.nde 

 an. I kxHda being very explosive. 



There are five oxides of nitro. 

 '.'11- (1) Nitrogen mon 

 HIM.. us oxide or laughing gas 

 (N,0); (2) Nitrogen dioxide, 

 \ide or nitroayl (NO); (3) 

 XitroL-eii trioxide, or nitrous anhy- 

 dride (N,O,); (4) Nitrogen te- 

 troxide 'or peroxide (N t O 4 or NO,) ; 

 (5) Nitrogen pentoxide or nitric 

 a.iliy.lride (NjOJ- 



Nitrogen monoxide was dis- 

 1 by Priestley in 1772, it* 

 exhilarating effects when inhaled 

 l>eiii'_' tirst observed by Davy. It 

 was this effect which gave to it 

 the name "laughing gas" (q.v.). 

 Nitrous oxide is largely employed 

 as an anaesthetic in dentistry and 

 other surgical operations wliich 

 only require a short period of un- 

 consciousness. It is prepared by 

 gently heating dried ammonium 

 nitrate, which splits up into nitrous 

 oxide and water. When required 

 as an anaesthetic it needs further 

 purification. It was liquefied by 

 Faraday in 1823. 



Nitrogen dioxide was first pre- 

 pared by Van Helmont It is best 

 made by dissolving copper foil in 

 nitric acid and collecting the gas in 

 a pneumatic trough. Nitrogen 

 trioxide is a red gas made by acting 

 on starch with nitric acid. It 

 forms with water the unstable 

 nitrous acid, which, however, com- 

 bined as nitrites, forms stable 

 bodies. Nitrogen tetroxide is 

 formed along with trioxide when 

 nitric acid acts on white arsenic. 

 See Air; Atmosphere; Hydrogen. 

 Nitrogen Products. Term 

 used in chemistry to include 

 various forms of combined nitro- 

 gen used in agriculture and for the 

 manufacture of explosives. The 

 various forms of combined nitro- 

 gen are conveniently classified as 

 (a) nitrate nitrogen, in the form 

 of Chile nitrate, potassium nitrate, 

 ammonium nitrate, and calcium 

 nitrate; (6) ammonia nitrogen, in 

 the form of ammonia, ammonia 

 sulphate, ammonium nitrate, and 

 other ammonium salts ; (c) nitric 

 j nitrogen, in the form of dilute and 

 I concentrated nitric acid ; (d) 

 cyanamide nitrogen, in the form of 

 calcium cyanamide or nitrolim ; (e) 

 cyanide nitrogen, in the form of 

 barium and sodium cyanide. The 

 newer methods of obtaining nitro- 

 gen products are by the fixation 

 of the nitrogen of the air and the 

 synthesis of ammonia from hydro- 

 gen and nitrogen. 



Nitroglycerin. Sensitive, highly 

 explosive oil, prepared by nitrating 

 glycerin. A nitric ester, the tri- 

 nitrate of glycerol, its chemical 



formula in C.II For 



many yean after iU discovery 

 nitroglyoerin found no commer- 

 cial UM except M * remedy (or 

 angina pectorw, on account of diHi- 

 eultiea in iU ignition and trans- 

 port. Highly refined glycerin M 

 required as the raw material, and 

 this w injected into the mixed acid 

 contained in a leaden nitrator. 

 The nitrating acid consists of 

 H,SO,, 62 p.c. ; HNO P 47 p.c. ; 

 and H;0, 1 p.c., eight part* of 

 .' i.l l>eing used to one of glycerin. 



Nitroglycerin w chiefly used a 

 an ingredient of various blasting 

 explosives, in safety explosives of 

 the carbonite type, and in some 

 propellante. See Ballistite ; Blast- 

 ing Gelatine ; Cordite ; Dynamite ; 

 Explosives ; Gelignite ; Nobel, 

 Alfred ; Safety Explosives, etc. 



Nitronaphthalenes. Nitro 

 derivatives of naphthalene first 

 prepared by Laurent, in 1835, by 

 nitrating naphthalene under suit- 

 able conditions. The most im- 

 portant is alpha-nitronaphthalene 

 (C,pH-N0 2 ), prepared on a small 

 scale by dissolving naphthalene in 

 glacial acetic acid, adding strong 

 nitric acid, and heating for half an 

 hour. On a commercial scale a mix- 

 ture of sulphuric acid and nitric acid 

 is employed. Nitronaphthalene is a 

 solid which crystallises in long lus- 

 trous yellow needles, insoluble in 

 water, but readily soluble in ben- 

 zene, ether, carbon bisulphide, and 

 hot alcohol Nitronaphthalenes 

 render nitroglycerin non-sensitive 

 to concussion, and when present in 

 small quantities have the important 

 property of preventing dynamite 

 from freezing. 



Nitrous Ether OR ETHYL 

 NITRITE. Liquid with a pleasant 

 ethereal smell, made by distilling 

 sodium nitrite with alcohol and 

 dilute sulphuric acid. The alcoholic 

 solution of ethyl nitrite known as 

 sweet spirit of nitre is employed in 

 medicine as a diaphoretic. It is 

 still official in the British Pharma- 

 copoeia as spiritus aetheris nitrosi. 



Nitrozylenes. Substances pre- 

 pared by nitrating xylene in the 

 same way as benzene. Nitroxy- 

 lenes are employed in the manu- 

 facture of xylidines, from which 

 several aniline dyes are made. See 

 Nitro-bcnzene. 



Nine OR SAVAGR ISLAND. Pacific 

 island, a dependency of New Zea- 

 land. It was named by its dis- 

 coverer, Capt Cook, 1774. It is 

 350 m. S.E. of Samoa, and consists 

 of upheaved coral arranged in two 

 terraces 90 and L'.O ft. above mean 

 sea level respectively. The native 

 villages are all on the lower tor- 

 race. Banana and coconut urv 

 exported. Alofi is the chief village. 

 The area is 100 sq. m. Pop 



Nive [Nun and France. 



It rises in X. Hpain. and flowing 

 through the Pyrenees joins the 

 at Bayonne; its length is 

 45m. In the Peninsular War there 

 wen engagement* along this river, 

 Deo. 10-13. 1813. On Soult's 

 retreat into Bayonne, after his 

 defeat on the Nivelle. NOT. 10. 

 \VellmgUin placed his forces 

 on either de of the river Nive. 

 Soult made a sortie, Dec. 10. and 

 liiunehed a heavy attack against a 

 i of the British forces under 

 Gen. Hope, but was held at bay. 

 Engagement* took place on the 

 following days until Dec. 13. when 

 Soult hurled a force of 35,000 men 

 against Hill's body of 17.000 

 lington's timely arrival saved Hill, 

 and Soult withdrew with heavy 

 losses. See Peninsular War. 



Nivelle, KOBEBT GEOROES 

 neral. Born 



fit Tulle. Ort !.' IS.-,li. of I! 



descent on his 

 mother's side, 

 be joined th> 

 r~v /^V JfH French army 

 1 as a lieut. of 

 artillery, Oct. 

 1, 1878. He 

 saw active 

 service in 

 Tunisia, Al- 



R. G. HiTelle. e ria, China, 

 French tenerai ^ m ^ 



Algeria, 1908-12, and on Dec. 25, 

 1911, was made a colonel and chief 

 of the staff of the Algerian dr. 



On the outbreak of the Great 

 War, Nivelle was in command of 

 the 5th artillery regiment, and 

 participated in the invasion of 

 Alsace. In Sept, 1914, he fought 

 in the battle of the Aisne, and, 

 promoted brigadier-general, suc- 

 cessively commanded the 

 infantry brigade and the 61st 

 infantry division. He became 

 general of division, with command 

 of 3rd army corps, 191-Y 



IMaeed at the head of the 

 M-eond army. April 27, 1916, he 

 played a great part in the battle of 

 Verdun. In-ing, as the result of his 

 success, chosen to succeed Joffre ; 

 and .n De,-. \2. l!l, was ap- 

 pointed eoininaruler-in-ehief of the 

 armies ,,f the X. and X. K. In 

 April, I'.UT, he conducted a power- 

 ful offensive in the Craonne- 

 Reims area ; but the losses were 

 heavy, and it was decided that the 

 offensive should be continued on a 

 less exten-ive M-ale. From Dec., 

 1917-l'.m. Xivelle, wno was com- 

 mnnder-in-chief in 



retired in I'.I-M. He died M 

 !!_' I. See Pi-tain; Verdun: 

 consult illso Xivelle et P.unlev e, 

 i.. Ten-nil. 1919; La Bataille de 

 I'Ai-ne (Avril Mai. l'J17), 1. 



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