The Nitrogen Cycle Word Search
A free The Nitrogen Cycle word search you can play straight in the browser. The 12-word list draws on the terms and ideas of a school subject, hidden across a 15×15 grid in every direction. Drag through the letters to mark a word off.
Words to find: NITROGEN, AMMONIA, NITRITE, NITRATE, BACTERIA, FIXATION, DENITRIFICATION, ASSIMILATION, DECOMPOSITION, LEGUMES, RHIZOBIUM, AMMONIFICATION.
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The Nitrogen Cycle word list, defined
- NITROGEN /ˈnaɪtrədʒən/ · noun
- Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless chemical element that exists as a gas under ordinary conditions and forms about 78 percent of Earth's atmosphere. It is essential to proteins, nucleic acids, and other biological molecules, and is used industrially in fertilizers, refrigerants, and chemical products.
- AMMONIA /əˈmoʊniə/ · noun
- A colorless gas with a sharp, pungent odor, composed of nitrogen and hydrogen (NH₃), which dissolves readily in water to form a solution used in cleaning products and fertilizers.
- NITRITE /ˈnaɪt(a)raɪt/ · noun
- A chemical compound or ion containing the nitrite group, NO₂⁻. In food contexts, the term often refers to sodium nitrite, a preservative and color-stabilizing additive used in cured meats. Related: nitrite salt, nitrite ion.
- NITRATE /ˈnaɪtreɪt/ · noun; verb
- As a noun, a compound containing the nitrate ion (NO₃⁻), especially one used in fertilizers, explosives, or food preservation. As a verb, to treat something with a nitrate compound or to convert it into a nitrate. Related: nitrate compound, nitrate salt, nitric acid salt.
- BACTERIA /bækˈtɪəriə/ · noun
- Bacteria are microorganisms that typically consist of a single prokaryotic cell and lack a membrane-bound nucleus. They are found in nearly every habitat on Earth and play essential roles in processes such as decomposition, fermentation, and nutrient cycling. Related: germs, microbes, microorganisms.
- FIXATION /fɪkˈseɪʃən/ · noun
- An obsessive or preoccupying interest in a person, thing, or idea; in psychology, the arrest of emotional or psychosexual development at an early stage. It can also denote the act of fastening or holding something firmly in place. Related: obsession, preoccupation, fixating, fetish.
- DENITRIFICATION /diːˌnaɪtrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ · noun
- The microbial process by which nitrates and nitrites in soil or water are reduced to gaseous nitrogen oxides or free nitrogen gas, returning nitrogen to the atmosphere. It occurs chiefly under anaerobic conditions and is a key stage of the nitrogen cycle. Related: denitrifying, nitrogen reduction, nitrate reduction.
- ASSIMILATION /əˌsɪm.əˈleɪ.ʃən/ · noun
- The process of absorbing and integrating people, ideas, or substances into a larger whole, so that they become indistinguishable from or fully incorporated into it; also, in phonetics, the process by which a speech sound becomes more like a neighbouring sound. Related: integration, absorption, incorporation, acculturation.
- DECOMPOSITION /ˌdiːkɒmpəˈzɪʃən/ (UK), /ˌdiːkɑːmpəˈzɪʃən/ (US) · noun
- The process by which something breaks down or decays into its component parts, whether through biological decay, chemical change, or analytical separation. Related: decay, rot, putrefaction, breakdown.
- LEGUMES /ˈlɛɡjuːmz/ · noun
- Plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, whose seeds are often edible and nutritious. The term commonly refers to beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas, as well as to those seeds themselves. Related: pulses, beans, peas, lentils.
- AMMONIFICATION /əˌmɒnɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ (UK); /əˌmɑːnəfɪˈkeɪʃən/ (US) · noun
- The process by which microorganisms decompose organic nitrogen compounds (such as proteins and amino acids in dead matter or waste) into ammonia or ammonium. It is a key stage of the nitrogen cycle, making nitrogen available for further transformation in soils and water. Related: deamination, nitrogen mineralization, ammonification process, organic nitrogen decomposition.
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