Nitrogen compounds description

The family of nitrogen compounds, by virtue of their number and complexity, has presented a series of challenges to the measurement community as the need to learn more about them has arisen because of their pivotal position in the chemistry of the atmosphere. A detailed description of the current ability to make measurements of known substances and the importance and possibility of the existence of as yet unmeasured species is presented in Chapter 9. In addition, the use of intercomparisons to verify and validate methods is discussed. 

Basic nitrogen compounds similar to the plant alkaloids also occur in animals, although the description animal alkaloid seldom is used. Certain amines and ammonium compounds play key roles in the function of the central nervous system (Figure 23-3) and the balance of amines in the brain is critical for normal brain functioning. Also, many essential vitamins and hormones are basic nitrogen compounds. Nitrogen bases also are vital constituents of nucleic acid polymers (DNA and RNA) and of proteins (Chapter 25). 

The important spectroscopic features (i.r., p.m.r., m.s., and u.v.-visible) which are observed in this varied range of nitrogen compounds are discussed descriptively under appropriate preparative sections. 

Similarly, mercury-nitrogen compounds may resemble either salts or acid-base type adducts. Saltlike compounds of this type include the familiar white amino compound, Cl—Hg—NH2, and analogous compounds formed from organic amines, for example, Cl—Hg—NHCH3 organic amides and imides also are known to form mercury derivatives, descriptions of which appear in more comprehensive works. 

A full spectrum of licensed petrochemical technologies is featured. These include manufacturing processes for olefins, aromatics, polymers, acids/salts, aldehydes, ketones, nitrogen compounds, chlorides and cyclo-compounds. Over 30 licensing companies have submitted process flow diagrams and informative process descriptions that include economic data, operating conditions, number of commercial installations and more. 

Interestingly, plants that are the most bioactive and potentially useful as medicines are usually also the most poisonous. The description poisonous and medicinal plants denotes this symbiosis. Among the more poisonous constituents is the class of nitrogenous compounds called alkaloids, some of which can be toxic in the extreme. 

Give appropriate bonding descriptions for the aluminium-nitrogen compounds depicted in Figure 12.21. 

Although dinitrogen complexes such as [M(N2)2(dppe)2] are not strictly organometallic, they closely resemble the carbonyls described in Section II,C,6. This analogy as well as the discovery of the syntheses of organo-nitrogen compounds via electron-transfer reactions have led us to include a brief description of the most recent developments. 

The two chief methods for estimating nitrogen in organic compounds are (i) the Dumas method, which can be applied to all organic compounds (ii) the Kjeldahl method, which is of more restricted application, but which is frequently used in biochemical and physiological work. Its limitations are indicated in the description of the method (p. 492). 

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