HNO3−NHx, H2SO4−NHx, CH(O)OH−NHx, and CH3C(O)OH−NHx complexes and their role in the formation of condensation nuclei

Computational chemistry of cluster: Understanding the mechanism of atmospheric new particle formation at the molecular level

New particle formation (NPF), which exerts significant influence over human health and global climate, has been a hot topic and rapidly expands field of research in the environmental and atmospheric chemistry recent years. Generally, NPF contains two processes: formation of critical nucleus and further growth of the nucleus. However, due to the complexity of the atmospheric nucleation, which is a multicomponent process, formation of critical clusters as well as their growth is still connected to large uncertainties. Detection limits of instruments in measuring specific gaseous aerosol precursors and chemical compositions at the molecular level call for computational studies. Computational chemistry could effectively compensate the deficiency of laboratory experiments as well as observations and predict the nucleation mechanisms. We review the present theoretical literatures that discuss nucleation mechanism of atmospheric clusters. Focus of this review is on different nucleation systems involving sulfur-containing species, nitrogen-containing species and iodine-containing species. We hope this review will provide a deep insight for the molecular interaction of nucleation precursors and reveal nucleation mechanism at the molecular level.

Formaldoxime hydrogen bonded complexes with ammonia and hydrogen chloride

An infrared spectroscopic and MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) study of hydrogen bonded complexes of formaldoxime with ammonia and hydrogen chloride trapped in solid argon matrices is reported. Both 1:1 and 1:2 complexes between formaldoxime and ammonia, hydrogen chloride have been identified in the CH2NOH/NH3/Ar, CH2NOH/HCl/Ar matrices, respectively, their structures were determined by comparison of the spectra with the results of calculations. In the 1:1 complexes present in the argon matrices the OH group of formaldoxime acts as a proton donor for ammonia and the nitrogen atom acts as a proton acceptor for hydrogen chloride. In the 1:2 complexes ammonia or hydrogen chloride dimers interact both with the OH group and the nitrogen atom of CH2NOH to form seven membered cyclic structures stabilized by three hydrogen bonds. The theoretical spectra generally agree well with the experimental ones, but they seriously underestimate the shift of the OH stretch for the 1:1 CH2NOH⋯NH3 complex.

Atmospheric formation of the NO3 radical from gas-phase reaction of HNO3 acid with the NH2 radical: proton-coupled electron-transfer versus hydrogen atom transfer mechanisms

The amidogen radical abstracts the hydrogen from nitric acid through a proton coupled electron transfer mechanism rather than by an hydrogen atom transfer process.