The Nitrate Radical NO3: a Nighttime Atmospheric Species

THE NITRATE RADICAL IS AN INTERMEDIATE IN THE REACTION OF NO2 WITH OZONE WHICH LEADS TO THE FORMATION OF NITROGEN PENTOXIDE N2O5. NO3 IS RA- PIDLY PHOTOLIZED IN DAYLIGHT BUT AT NIGHTTIME IT MAY BE A COMMON CONSTI- TUENT OF THE TROPOSPHERE. ITS ROLE AS INITIATOR OF RADICAL REACTIONS WHEN PHOTOCHEMICAL RADICAL SOURCES ARE ABSENT IS THERE OF IMPORTANCE IN ATMOS- PHERIC CHEMISTRY. RECENT STUDIES ASSIGN TO NO3 A ROLE COMPARABLE TO THAT OF THE OH RADICAL AT DAYTIME IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF NOX TO HNO3 IN THE LOWER TROPOSPHERE. THE REPORT PRESENTS AN UPDATED SUMMARY OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS ATMOSPHERIC SPECIES. THE MATTER IS DIVIDED IN THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS: "PHOTOCHEMISTRY" WHICH DEALS WITH THE ABSORPTION SPECTRUM, FLUORESCENCE AND PHOTODISSOCIATION. "ATMOSPHERIC REACTIONS" AND "NO3 IN TROPOSPHERIC AIR" WHICH CONCERNS DETECTION TECHNIQUES AND FIELD MEASUREMENTS. SPECULA- TIONS BY DIFFERENT AUTHORS ON THE ROLE PLAYED BY THE NITRATE RADICAL IN TROPOSPHERIC AIR CHEMISTRY ARE PRESENTED IN THE LAST SECTION.

RESTELLI Giambattista; 

1995-03-15

European Commission

JRC4064

EUR 10212 EN,   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC4064,