Chemical Reactions of Nitrogen Oxides on the Surface of Oxide, Carbonate, Soot, and Mineral Dust Particles:  Implications for the Chemical Balance of the Troposphere

Abstract

Particles present in the Earth's atmosphere provide reactive surfaces for potentially important chemistry. The role of heterogeneous reactions of trace atmospheric gases on solid aerosol surfaces present in the troposphere is not well understood. Laboratory investigations can provide a basis for understanding the detailed molecular- level physical chemistry of these atmospheric reactions. Kinetic data measured in the laboratory, along with the information provided by spectroscopic studies, can be incorporated into atmospheric chemistry models in order to gain a greater understanding of how heterogeneous chemistry affects the chemical balance of the troposphere. Laboratory studies of the heterogeneous uptake of nitric acid, HNO3, on oxide, carbonate and mineral dust particles, and the heterogeneous formation of nitrous acid, HONO, on wetted-SiO2 and soot particles are highlighted as two examples of important heterogeneous processes in the troposphere.