Liquid nitrogen - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen at a very low temperature. It is usually produced by a process known as fractional distillation of air. At atmospheric pressure (normal pressure) nitrogen boils at −196 °C (77 K; −321 °F). Nitrogen was first made into a liquid at Jagiellonian University on 15 April 1883. Zygmunt Wróblewski and Karol Olszewski were the first scientists to liquefy nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide.^[1] During World War II the production of liquid nitrogen became common.^[2] This lowered the cost to produce it. After the war new uses were found for liquid gases. Liquid nitrogen became a major gas in the US.^[2]

Liquid nitrogen has a variety of uses, as it is easy to transport, and compact.

• Removal of warts
• In Cryosurgery
• Storage and preservation of cells
• Shrink welding
• In food preparation, for foods such as ice cream
• To cool electronics, such as infrared sensors
• In Cryogenics

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