AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Nitrogen is so vital because it is a major component of chlorophyll, the compound by which plants use sunlight energy to produce sugars from water and carbon dioxide (i.e., photosynthesis). It is also a major component of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Without proteins, plants wither and die.

Detailed explanation-2: -Nitrogen is a key element in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA, which are the most important of all biological molecules and crucial for all living things. DNA carries the genetic information, which means the instructions for how to make up a life form.

Detailed explanation-3: -Nitrogen is a component of amino acids and urea. Amino acids are the building blocks of all proteins. Proteins comprise not only structural components such as muscle, tissue and organs, but also enzymes and hormones essential for the functioning of all living things. Urea is a byproduct of protein digestion.

Detailed explanation-4: -Nitrogen☆⁎⁎⁎ Nitrogen is in all amino acids and nucleotides, and therefore in all proteins and nucleic acids.