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Heterogeneous reactions with NaCl in the El Chichon volcanic aerosols
Author(s) -
Michelangeli Diane V.,
Allen Mark,
Yung Yuk. L.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/91gl00547
Subject(s) - volcano , ozone , chlorine , sulfuric acid , aerosol , chemical reaction , chemistry , environmental chemistry , volcanic gases , atmospheric chemistry , sulfate , mineralogy , inorganic chemistry , atmospheric sciences , geology , geochemistry , organic chemistry
Previous investigations of the effects of the 1982 eruption of the El Chichon volcano could not explain all the observations of changes in O 3 , HCl, NO and NO 2 simultaneously without proposing unproven chemical reactions. Since reactions between solid NaCl and gaseous ClNO 3 and N 2 O 5 rapidly produce photochemically active chlorine species and solid NaNO 3 in laboratory experiments, we suggest that these reactions could have occurred with the NaCl observed to be present in the El Chichon sulfuric acid aerosols. As a consequence, we predict that HCl should increase substantially, while NO x should decrease, in agreement with the measurements after the eruption. Ozone should only be slightly affected by these reactions. Reactions between solid NaCl and the acids H 2 SO 4 and HNO 3 might prove to be important, but we lack sufficient evidence regarding their efficiency and the presence of HNO 3 in the aerosols to be more conclusive.