Reaction of Nitrogen Oxides with Black Carbon: An FT-IR Study

Abstract

Qualitative and quantitative studies of the reaction of black carbon with the oxides of nitrogen, including NO, NO 2 /N 2 O 4 , N 2 O, and N 2 O 3 , have been carried out with the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The active reactant is shown to be NO 2 , whether it acts as a disproportionation product or as an impurity in the gas under study. FT-IR spectra of the surface species identify them as resulting from reaction of carbon with NO 2 . For paraffin candle soot which was exposed simultaneously to oxygen atoms, and nitric oxide at 298 K, the surface species also are due to NO 2 , formed by oxidative adsorption of NO on the soot surface.