Human activity leads to the emission of many types of pollutants into the air without a molecule called hydroxide (hydroxide) (OPEN) many of these pollutants will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere. how exactly AH considered a complete story that takes place in the atmosphere, but in a new study published Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesA research group, including chemistry professor Sergey Nizkorodov of the University of California, Irvine, reports that the strong electric field that exists on the surface between airborne water droplets and the surrounding air can create. AH by a previously unknown mechanism.
It’s a finding that will change the way scientists understand how air is cleaned of things like man-made pollutants and greenhouse gases that OH can react and release. “OH is necessary for the oxidation of hydrocarbons, otherwise they will accumulate in the atmosphere forever,” Nizkorodov said. Said.
“AH It is a major player in the history of atmospheric chemistry. It initiates reactions that break down pollutants in the air and helps remove harmful chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide, which are toxic gases, from the atmosphere,” said the new research. “Therefore, a thorough understanding of its sources and sinks is key to understanding and reducing air pollution.”
Previously, researchers found that the main factor in the formation AH there is sunlight.
“Conventional wisdom is that you have to create. AH using photochemistry or redox chemistry. You need sunlight or metals to act as catalysts,” Nizkorodov said. “This document basically says you don’t need any of that. In the purest water. AH can occur spontaneously due to special conditions on the surface of the droplets.”
The team relied on research by Stanford University scientists led by Richard Zar, who reported the spontaneous formation of hydrogen peroxide on the surface of water droplets. The new discoveries help interpret the Zare group’s unexpected results. The team measured concentration AH in different bottles – some with an air-water surface and others – just airless water – and the production followed AH in the dark by adding a fluorescent probe molecule to the flasks during the reaction AH.
What they see is the level of production AH reflects these values in the dark and even exceeds those caused by factors such as exposure to sunlight. “Enough will be created AHto compete with other well-known sources AHsaid Nikorodov. “At night, when there is no photochemistry, AH it’s still being produced, and it’s being produced faster than it normally would.”
Nizkorodov said the results changed the understanding of the sources AHThis will change the way other researchers create computer models that try to predict how air pollution occurs.
“This could significantly change air pollution patterns,” Nizkorodov said. “OH is an important oxidant in water droplets, and the main assumption in the models is that OH comes from the air rather than occurs directly in the drop.”
Nizkorodov believes the next step is to determine if this new production mechanism plays a role. AHis the conduct of carefully designed experiments in a real atmosphere in various parts of the world. But first, the team expects the results to spark excitement in the atmospheric research community.
“A lot of people will read this, but they won’t believe it at first and will either try to recreate it or run experiments to prove it wrong,” Nizkorodov said. Said. “There will undoubtedly be a lot of laboratory experiments going on.”
He added that the UCI is the most important place for this type of science to continue, as other UCI labs, such as chemistry professor’s Anne Marie Carleton lab, have focused their efforts on the role of water droplets in the atmosphere.
Source: Port Altele
