Nitrogen fixation: In the soil, as well as in the root nodules of certain plants root

nodules contain small swelling on the root itself. nitrogen is "fixed" by bacteria,
lightning, and ultraviolet radiation. fixing nitrogen does not mean nitrogen that the
nitrogen was not working, nitrogen fixation is when the bacteria puts elemental
nitrogen into a form that can be used by other living organisms and does not allow it to
leave that form and be converted back into elemental nitrogen.
common type of nitrogen fixation consists of fixation by lightning and biological fixation
which is fixation caused plants/animals.
fixation by lightning is caused by The energy from lightning causes nitrogen (N2) and
water (H2O) to combine to form ammonia (NH3) and nitrates (NO3). where Precipitation
holds the ammonia and nitrates to the ground, which can be assimilated by plants.
Biological Fixation About 90% of nitrogen fixation is done by bacteria. Cyanobacteria
convert nitrogen into ammonia and ammonium.
N2 + 3 H2 2 NH3

nitrogen-fixing bacteria. is the most common type of this pollutant found in the
environment. These bacteria are found both in the soil and in symbiotic relationships
with plants

http://chemistry.about.com/od/geochemistry/ss/nitrogencycle.htm
Nitrification
Nitrification occurs by the following reactions:
2 NH3 + 3 O2 2 NO2 + 2 H+ + 2 H2O
2 NO2- + O2 2 NO3Aerobic bacteria uses oxygen to convert ammonia and ammonium. an aerobic bacteria
is an organism that can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment, meaning they
do well in areas with lots of oxygen.
Nitrosomonas bacteria which are o
rganisms that
oxidizes ammonia into nitrite as a metabolic process. they c
onvert nitrogen into nitrite
(NO2-) and the nitrobacter which
oxidizes nitrite into nitrate in soil. c
onverts nitrite to
nitrate (NO3-). Some bacterias are in a symbiotic relationship meaning, they word better
together with plants such as (legumes and many root-nodule species). Plants utilize the
nitrate as a nutrient. Animals obtain nitrogen by eating plants or plant-eating animals.

Ammonification
When plants and animals die, bacteria converts nitrogen nutrients back into ammonium
salts and ammonia. This conversion process is called ammonification. Anaerobic
bacteria can convert ammonia into nitrogen gas through the process of denitrification:
NO
3-
+ CH
2
O + H
+
N
2
O + CO
2
+ 1 H
2
O