Free nitrogen is simply molecular nitrogen (N2). Nitrogen, in its molecular form, consists of two nitrogen atoms bound together with a tripple bond. Because it is very stable, N2 is typically nonreactive, and takes a lot of energy to break them apart. Among these are the amino acids necessary for life to begin and which are the building blocks DNA is made from. Basically, any nitrogen that is in an organic compound is considered “fixed” nitrogen and N2 is considered to be “free” nitrogen
