Nitrogen is colourless, odourless and tasteless. It is non-flammable, will not support combustion and is not life-supporting. The gas is slightly lighter than air and is only slightly soluble in water. At low temperatures nitrogen is inert and will not react with other chemicals. When liquid nitrogen is vaporized and then heated it consumes a relatively large amount of heat, making it an ideal coolant for low temperature applications.
Nitrogen has many commercial and technical applications. Liquid nitrogen's cooling properties are used to:
- Freeze food, blood and other materials
- Modify metal properties
- Control reaction temperatures
- Cool concrete and simulate cold operating conditions.
