Does Ozone–Water Complex Produce Additional OH Radicals in the Atmosphere?

Absolute Infrared Absorption Cross Section of the Simplest Criegee Intermediate Near 1285.7 cm-1

The ν₄ fundamental of the simplest Criegee intermediate, CH₂OO, has been monitored with high-resolution infrared (IR) transient absorption spectroscopy under total pressures of 4-94 Torr. This IR spectrum provides an unambiguous identification of CH₂OO and is potentially useful to determine the number density of CH₂OO in various laboratory studies. Here we utilized an ultraviolet (UV) and IR coupled spectrometer to measure the UV and IR absorption spectra of CH₂OO simultaneously; the absolute IR cross section can then be determined by using a known UV cross section. Due to significant pressure broadening in the studied pressure range, we integrated the IR absorption spectra between 1285.2 and 1286.4 cm^-1 (covering the Q branch), and then we converted this integrated absorbance to the absolute integral IR cross section of CH₂OO (for the Q branch); its absolute value is (3.7 ± 0.6) × 10^-19 cm·molecule^-1 or 2.2 ± 0.4 km·mol^-1. The whole rotational band (P, Q, and R branches) can be adequately simulated by using the precise spectroscopic parameters from the literature, yielding the absolute integral IR cross section (full ν₄ band) to be 19.2 ± 3.5 km·mol^-1. For a practical detection of CH₂OO, this work also reports the peak cross section as a function of total pressure (4-94 Torr O₂). At low pressure (≤4 Torr), where the pressure broadening is insignificant, the absorption cross section of the highest peak is (6.2 ± 0.9) × 10^-18 cm²·molecule^-1 (at the system line width of 0.004 cm^-1 fwhm).

Kinetics of the simplest Criegee intermediate reaction with ozone studied using a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser spectrometer

The first experimental study of Criegee intermediate reactions with ozone, clarifying its role in atmosphere and laboratory studies of ozonolysis.

Structure and Abundance of Nitrous Oxide Complexes in Earth's Atmosphere

We have investigated the lowest energy structures and binding energies of a series of atmospherically relevant nitrous oxide (N2O) complexes using explicitly correlated coupled cluster theory. Specifically, we have considered complexes with nitrogen (N2-N2O), oxygen (O2-N2O), argon (Ar-N2O), and water (H2O-N2O). We have calculated rotational constants and harmonic vibrational frequencies for the complexes and the constituent monomers. Statistical mechanics was used to determine the thermodynamic parameters for complex formation as a function of temperature and pressure. These results, in combination with relevant atmospheric data, were used to estimate the abundance of N2O complexes in Earth's atmosphere as a function of altitude. We find that the abundance of N2O complexes in Earth's atmosphere is small but non-negligible, and we suggest that N2O complexes may contribute to absorption of terrestrial radiation and be relevant for understanding the atmospheric fate of N2O.

Self-enhanced ozonation of benzoic acid at acidic pHs

Ozonation of recalcitrant contaminants under acidic conditions is inefficient due to the lack of initiator (e.g., OH(-)) for ozone to produce hydroxyl radicals (HO). In this study, we reported that benzoic acid (BA), which is inert to ozone attack, underwent efficient degradation by ozone at acidic pH (2.3). The kinetics of BA degradation and ozone decomposition were both enhanced by increasing BA concentrations. Essentially, it is a HO-mediated reaction. Based on the exclusion of possible contributions of H2O2 and phenol-like intermediates for HO production, the reaction mechanism involved the formation of ozone ion ( [Formula: see text] ), which is an effective precursor of HO, was thus proposed. The hydroxycyclohexadienyl-type radicals generated during the attack of BA by HO may lead to the formation of [Formula: see text] . Meanwhile, [Formula: see text] could also be possibly formed from the reaction between ozone and organic (e.g., ROO∙) or inorganic peroxyl radicals (e.g., HO2). In addition, the hydroxylated products like phenol-like intermediates also played a positive role in HO production. Consequently, HO was produced efficiently under acidic conditions, resulting in rapid degradation of BA. This study provides a new approach for ozone activation even at acidic pHs, and broadens the knowledge of ozonation in removal of micropollutants from water.

Spectroscopic signatures of ozone at the air-water interface and photochemistry implications

First-principles simulations suggest that additional OH formation in the troposphere can result from ozone interactions with the surface of cloud droplets. Ozone exhibits an affinity for the air-water interface, which modifies its UV and visible light spectroscopic signatures and photolytic rate constant in the troposphere. Ozone cross sections on the red side of the Hartley band (290- to 350-nm region) and in the Chappuis band (450-700 nm) are increased due to electronic ozone-water interactions. This effect, combined with the potential contribution of the O3 + hν → O((3)P) + O2(X(3)Σg(-)) photolytic channel at the interface, leads to an enhancement of the OH radical formation rate by four orders of magnitude. This finding suggests that clouds can influence the overall oxidizing capacity of the troposphere on a global scale by stimulating the production of OH radicals through ozone photolysis by UV and visible light at the air-water interface.

The UV absorption spectrum of the simplest Criegee intermediate CH2OO

The absolute UV absorption spectrum of CH₂OO was determined using multiple methods.

Photochemistry of the ozone-water complex in cryogenic neon, argon, and krypton matrixes

The photochemistry of ozone-water complexes and the wavelength dependence of the reactions were studied by matrix isolation FTIR spectrometry in neon, argon, and krypton matrixes. Hydrogen peroxide was formed upon the irradiation of UV light below 355 nm. Quantitative analyses of the reactant and product were performed to evaluate the matrix cage effect of the photoreaction. In argon and krypton matrixes, a bimolecular O((1)D) + H2O → H2O2 reaction was found to occur to form hydrogen peroxide, where the O((1)D) atom generated by the photolysis of ozone diffused in the cryogenic solids to encounter water. In a neon matrix, hydrogen peroxide was generated through intracage photoreaction of the ozone-water complex, indicating that a neon matrix medium is most appropriate to study the photochemistry of the ozone-water complex.