Question

Explain why Nitrolim is used as a fertiliser.

Answer 1

Hint: Nitrolim is the commercial name of Calcium Cyanamide ($CaC{N}_2$). Having learnt of its true identity and name, think of all the chemical substances it could help generate.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Before we delve into the specifics of why Nitrolim is used as a fertiliser, it is important to understand how it is produced and the history behind it.
Nitrolim is created by the Frank-Caro process (also known as cyanamide process) which involves the fixation of Nitrogen in Calcium Carbide ($Ca{C}_2$) with Nitrogen gas in a reactor vessel at about 1273K temperature according to the following chemical equation:
$Ca{C}_2+N_2\stackrel{1273K}{\to }CaC{N}_2+C$
The Frank–Caro process was the first commercial process that was used worldwide to fix atmospheric nitrogen and create a product which was widely used as fertilizer and commercially known as Lime-Nitrogen or Nitrolim, hence the name.
It is a very effective fertiliser as by simply adding water to Nitrolim, the production of both Calcium Carbonate and Ammonia takes place, both of which are excellent fertilisers in their own right.
$CaC{N}_2+3H_{2}O\to CaC{O}_3+2N{H}_3$
Ammonia (NH₃) is the foundation for the nitrogen (N) fertilizer industry. It can be directly applied to soil as a plant nutrient or converted into a variety of common N fertilizers.
Adding Calcium Carbonate on the other hand effectively and efficiently balances the soil pH.

Note: While it is important to know why Nitrolim is used as a fertiliser, any answer that does not contain details about its production is incomplete. Therefore, make sure that your answer to this question always includes the Frank-Caro process and its particulars.