Editing Nitrogen cycle (section)

=== Anaerobic ammonia oxidation ===
{{Main|Anammox}}
The <u>AN</u>aerobic <u>AMM</u>onia <u>OX</u>idation process is also known as the [[Anammox|ANAMMOX]] process, an abbreviation coined by joining the first [[syllable]]s of each of these three words. This biological process is a [[redox]] [[comproportionation]] reaction, in which [[ammonia]] (the [[reducing agent]] giving electrons) and [[nitrite]] (the [[oxidizing agent]] accepting electrons) transfer three [[electron]]s and are converted into one molecule of [[diatomic]] [[nitrogen]] ({{chem|N|2}}) gas and two water molecules. This process makes up a major proportion of nitrogen conversion in the [[ocean]]s. The [[stoichiometry|stoichiometrically]] balanced formula for the ANAMMOX chemical reaction can be written as following, where an [[ammonium]] [[ion]] includes the ammonia molecule, its [[Conjugate (acid-base theory)|conjugated]] [[Base (chemistry)|base]]:  

: {{chem2|NH4+ + NO2- -> N2 + 2 H2O}} (Δ''G''° = {{val|-357 |u=kJ.mol-1}}).<ref name="Anammox" />

This an [[exergonic process]] (here also an [[exothermic reaction]]) releasing energy, as indicated by the negative value of Δ''G''°, the difference in [[Gibbs free energy]] between the products of reaction and the reagents.