Why nitrogen is not a inert gas?

Answer 1

The reason why nitrogen isn't inert is due to the layout of electrons around the nucleus. the electrons are found in layers/shells. For all elements except the noble gases the outer most shell is incomplete. Having a complete outer shell is the most stable any atom will get as it requires massive quantities of energy to remove them. The noble gases have full outer shells and this is why they are inert. All the other elements try to achieve this state. I will use nitrogen as an example. Nitrogen has 5 electrons in its outer most shell. The closest noble gas is Neon with 8 electrons in its outer shell. For nitrogen to achieve a full outer shell it needs 3 more electrons which it will find through bonding to other elements.

Basically put nitrogen isn't inert because it will react with other elements to try and achieve a full outer shell of 8 electrons.

Answer 2

Although nitrogen is often called an "inert gas," it is not truly inert because it can react under certain conditions. Nitrogen can form various compounds, such as ammonia, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide, through chemical reactions. However, nitrogen is relatively stable and doesn't readily react in most situations, which is why it is sometimes referred to as an inert gas.