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Potential new atmospheric sources and sinks of odd nitrogen: Sources involving the excited O 2 , and the N 2 O•O 3 species
Author(s) -
Prasad Sheo S.
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1029/98gl01610
Subject(s) - troposphere , photoexcitation , photodissociation , atmospheric chemistry , atmospheric sciences , nitrogen , excited state , radical , environmental science , atomic physics , physics , chemistry , meteorology , photochemistry , quantum mechanics , organic chemistry , ozone
The NO and NO 2 radicals play important roles in atmospheric chemistry. This paper, therefore, theoretically discusses the following speculations: (1) the O 2 (B³Σ) + N 2 → 2NO reaction, and perhaps the photoexcitation of the N 2 •O 2 dimers (or collision complexes) by Herzberg band photons as well, may be potentially important atmospheric sources of odd‐nitrogen, (2) there is a tantalizing potential for a substantive NO x production of the order of 1200 NO x cm −3 s −1 in the upper troposphere subject to certain condition, and (3) photodissociation of the possible N 2 O•O 3 species in the 320 to 430 nm may be a non‐trivial source of NO x in the upper troposphere. Experimental studies of these ideas are needed, due to their relevance in regional pollution and global change issues.