Subtitle Forum: Do we breathe nitrogen?
It is a well-known fact that the air we breathe consists mostly of nitrogen. However, does this mean that we are actually breathing in nitrogen? The answer to this question is both yes and no.
Yes, because the nitrogen we breathe is actually a part of the air we breathe. Nitrogen is an inert gas, which means that it does not react with other elements in the air. This means that when we breathe in air, we are also breathing in nitrogen.
No, because the nitrogen that we breathe in is not actually absorbed into our bodies. While it is true that the air we breathe is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, the nitrogen molecules are too large to pass through the walls of our lungs. This means that the nitrogen we breathe is not absorbed into our bodies and is simply exhaled as we breathe out.
Inert means that a particular substance or element does not react with other elements in the air. Inert gases are used in many industrial processes because they do not react with other substances and can be used as a protective layer.