Final answer:
Nitrogenase converts b) 10 molecules of N₂ gas into ammonia per second through nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen atoms have two electron shells, and the nitrogen cycle.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nitrogenase enzyme typically converts b) 10 molecules of N₂ per second. Nitrogenase is crucial for the process of nitrogen fixation, wherein nitrogen gas (N₂) is converted into ammonia (NH₃), a form that can be assimilated into organic compounds by living organisms.
This conversion rate means that the enzyme is relatively slow but highly efficient in fixing atmospheric nitrogen into biologically usable forms.
The challenging nature of breaking the triple bond in nitrogen gas makes the nitrogenase enzyme a remarkable catalyst in nature.
Moving to the structure of the nitrogen atom, it has an atomic number of seven, indicating that nitrogen likely has two electron shells.
And in the context of cellular replication, a eukaryotic cell will be replicating nucleotides at a variable rate, potentially slower than a prokaryotic cell, due to more complex regulatory mechanisms.
Finally, when discussing chemical reactions, such as the conversion of nitrogen to ammonia, chemists use stoichiometry to describe the relationships between individual molecules and ions or moles of reactants and products.
The conversion ratio of nitrogen to ammonia is based on the balanced chemical equation which dictates that 1 molecule of nitrogen reacts with 3 molecules of hydrogen to form 2 molecules of ammonia.