Physics Asked on February 16, 2021
I assume the formation of $rm N_2$ and $rm O_2$ molecules is energetically favorable compared with N2O, NO, and NO2, etc., but are there some more intuitive arguments regarding the bonding and electronic structure of these various molecules that leads to the dominance of $rm N_2$ and $rm O_2$?
I’m also wondering what role plants, or life in general, might play in this. Photosynthesis seems to produce O2 molecules as a biproduct rather than monatomic oxygen or NO2, for example. Similarly the biological nitrogen cycle seems to end up with N2 being emitted back into the atmosphere rather than N2O.
Are there any examples of planetary atmospheres where nitrogen-oxygen compounds form a major component?
The various nitrogen oxides are extremely reactive chemical compounds which means they have a strong tendency to react with other (trace) elements in the atmosphere. This means that they get scavenged out of the atmosphere almost as quickly as they are formed.
Answered by niels nielsen on February 16, 2021
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