2P333 Nitric Oxide

Nitrogen and oxygen are all pretty harmless when they are on their own, but when they are combined, Nitric Oxide, a gas which is damaging to the respiratory system, heart disease, lung tissue damage, and premature death, is produced. Nitric Oxide is an air pollutant, produced by combustion of substances in air, like in automobile engines and fossil fuel power plants. Nitric oxide in the air may convert to nitric acid, which has been implicated in acid rain. Furthermore, it also participates in the depletion of the ozone layer. Ironically, in mammals, it is also an important cellular messenger molecule involved in many physiological and pathological processes.

The chemical bonding in this compound is covalent bonds, as both elements are non-metals. As seen from the diagram above, it is made from an atom of nitrogen and an atom of oxygen.