Gas phase reactions of N2O5 with NO−2(H2O)<i>n</i>=0–2, NO−3(H2O)<i>n</i>=1,2, and NO−<i>n</i>=2,3HNO2

Abstract

The reactions of N2O5 with the NO−2(H2O)n=0–2, NO−3(H2O)n=1,2, and NO−n=2,3HNO2 ions were studied in a flow-tube apparatus in a He-buffer gas at several temperatures within the range 167–298 K and at a pressure of 0.28 Torr. All these ions were observed to react quite efficiently with N2O5, giving rise to the main product ion NO−3HNO3. This finding is of atmospheric interest since these reactions may occur in the atmosphere and are potentially relevant to the chemistry of reactive nitrogen species involved in ozone destruction. These results also have implications for the derivation of the HNO3 concentration in the upper earth’s atmosphere from ion composition measurements. The rate constants of the observed reactions were determined and mechanisms are proposed which account for the findings.