Nitrate is the most common form of nitrogen (represented by NO3 ). Nitrate is a chemical combustion of nitrogen and oxygen. Even though nitrogen cover 79% of the Earth, most of it is inert. This inactive form of nitrogen is not able to react with oxygen to create nitrate. Natural events like lightning and cosmic radiation creates nitrates in the atmosphere, which brought down to Earth by precipitation. Nitrate is important because plants need nitrogen to create chlorophyll, which captures sunlight and turn it into energy. Also, nitrate is needed in plants to make amino acids, which in turn makes proteins for the plant. Without protein, the plant withers and
