Nitrogen is an industrial gas and the main component of air (78%). It has no specific taste, colour, or smell. It is not toxic to humans and practically does not react with any other chemical substances.

Industrially, nitrogen is obtained by cryogenic distillation.

When exposed to air, nitrogen decreases the oxygen concentration in it. Therefore, it can be used to reduce or avoid the oxygenation of materials. Nitrogen is used to purge the fuel tanks, pipelines, and process cavities where the presence of oxygen and moisture is unacceptable.

Due to the low temperature of liquid nitrogen, it is widely used for cooling and freezing.