An investigation of the dark formation of nitrous acid in environmental chambers

The formation of nitrous acid (HONO) in the dark from initial concentrations of NO₂ of 0.1–20 ppm in air, and the concurrent disappearance of NO₂, were monitored quantitatively by UV differential optical absorption spectroscopy in two different environmental chambers of ca.4300- and 5800-L volume (both with surface/volume ratios of 3.4 m^?1). In these environmental chambers the initial HONO formation rate was first order in the NO₂ concentration and increased with the water vapor concentration. However, the HONO formation rate was independent of the NO concentration and relatively insensitive to temperature. The initial pseudo-first-order consumption rate of NO₂ was (2.8 ± 1.2) × 10^?4 min^?1 in the 5800-L Teflon-coated evacuable chamber and (1.6 ± 0.5) × 10^?4 min^?1 in a 4300-L all-Teflon reaction chamber at ca.300 K and ca.50% RH. The initial HONO yields were ca.40–50% of the NO₂ reacted in the evacuable chamber and ca.10–30% in the all-Teflon chamber. Nitric oxide formation was observed during the later stages of the reaction in the evacuable chamber, but ca.50% of the nitrogen could not be accounted for, and gas phase HNO₃ was not detected. The implications of these data concerning radical sources in environmental chamber irradiations of NO_x? organic-air mixtures, and of HONO formation in polluted atmospheres, are discussed.     

Formation of nitrous acid and nitric oxide in the heterogeneous dark reaction of nitrogen dioxide and water vapor in a smog chamber

The dark reaction of NO_x and H₂O vapor in 1 atm of air was studied for the purpose of elucidating the recently discussed unknown radical source in smog chambers. Nitrous acid and nitric oxide were found to be formed by the reaction of NO₂ and H₂O in an evacuable and bakable smog chamber. No nitric acid was observed in the gas phase. The reaction is not stoichiometric and is thought to be a heterogeneous wall reaction. The reaction rate is first order with respect to NO₂ and H₂O, and the concentrations of HONO and NO initially increase linearly with time. The same reaction proceeds with a different rate constant in a quartz cell, and the reaction of NO₂ and H₂¹⁸O gave H¹⁸ONO exclusively. Taking into consideration the heterogeneous reaction of NO₂ and H₂O, the upper limit of the rate constant of the third-order reaction NO + NO₂ + H₂O → 2HONO was deduced to be (3.0 ± 1.4) × 10^?10 ppm^?2-min^?1, which is one order of magnitude smaller than the previously reported value. Nitrous acid formed by the heterogeneous dark reaction of NO₂ and H₂O should contribute significantly to both an initially present HONO and a continuous supply of OH radicals by photolysis in smog chamber experiments.     

Rate coefficients for the reaction of OH with HONO between 298 and 373 K

Rate coefficients, k₁, for the reaction OH + HONO → H₂O + NO₂, have been measured over the temperature range 298 to 373 K. The OH radicals were produced by 266 nm laser photolysis of O₃ in the presence of a large excess of H₂O vapor. The temporal profiles of OH were measured under pseudo-first-order conditions, in an excess of HONO, using time resolved laser induced fluorescence. The measured rate coefficient exhibits a slight negative temperature dependence, with k₁ = (2.8 ± 1.3) × 10^?12 exp((260 ± 140)/T) cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1. The measured values of k₁ are compared with previous determinations and the atmospheric implications of our findings are discussed.     

An evaluation of the mechanism of nitrous acid formation in the urban atmosphere

Nitrous acid (HONO) has been observed to build in the atmosphere of cities during the nighttime hours and it is suspected that photolysis of HONO may be a significant source of HO radicals early in the day. The sources of HONO are poorly understood, making it difficult to account for nighttime HONO formation in photochemical modeling studies of urban atmospheres, such as modeling of urban O₃ formation. This paper reviews the available information on measurements of HONO in the atmosphere and suggest mechanisms of HONO formation. The most extensive atmospheric measurement databases are used to investigate the relations between HONO and potential precursors. Based on these analyses, the nighttime HONO concentrations are found to correlate best with the product of NO, NO₂ and H₂O concentrations, or possibly the NO, NO₂, H₂O, and aerosol concentrations. A new mechanism for nighttime HONO formation is proposed that is consistent with this precursor relationship, namely, reaction of N₂O₃ with moist aerosols (or other surfaces) to form two HONO molecules. Theoretical considerations of the equilibrium constant for N₂O₃ formation and the theory of gas-particle reactions show that the proposed reaction is a plausible candidate for HONO formation in urban atmospheres. For photochemical modeling purposes, a relation is derived in terms of gas phase species only (i.e., excluding the aerosol concentration): NO + NO₂ + H₂O → 2 HONO with a rate constant of 1.68 x 10^-17 e^6348/T (ppm^-2 min^-1). This rate constant is based on an analysis of ambient measurements of HONO, NO, NO₂ and H₂O, with a temperature dependence from the equilibrium constant for formation of N₂O₃. Photochemical grid modeling is used to investigate the effects of this relation on simulated HONO and O₃ concentrations in Los Angeles, and the results are compared to two alternative sources of nighttime HONO that have been used by modelers. Modeling results show that the proposed relation results in HONO concentrations consistent with ambient measurements. Furthermore, the relation represents a conservative modeling approach because HONO production is effectively confined to the model surface layers in the nighttime hours, the time and place for which ambient data exist to show that HONO formation occurs. The empirical relation derived here should provide a useful tool for modelers until such time as knowledge of the HONO forming mechanisms has improved and more quantitative relations can be derived.     

Ab initio chemical kinetics for the NH2 + HNOx reactions,part II: Kinetics and mechanism for NH2 + HONO

The kinetics and mechanism for the reaction of NH₂ with HONO have been investigated by ab initio calculations with rate constant prediction. The potential energy surface of this reaction has been computed by single‐point calculations at the CCSD(T)/6‐311+G(3df, 2p) level based on geometries optimized at the CCSD/6‐311++G(d, p) level. The reaction producing the primary products, NH₃ + NO₂, takes place via precomplexes, H₂N???c‐HONO or H₂N???t‐HONO with binding energies, 5.0 or 5.9 kcal/mol, respectively. The rate constants for the major reaction channels in the temperature range of 300–3000 K are predicted by variational transition state theory or Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus theory depending on the mechanism involved. The total rate constant can be represented by k_total = 1.69 × 10^?20 × T^2.34 exp(1612/T) cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 at T = 300–650 K and 8.04 × 10^?22 × T^3.36 exp(2303/T) cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 at T = 650–3000 K. The branching ratios of the major channels are predicted: k₁ + k₃ producing NH₃ + NO₂ accounts for 1.00–0.98 in the temperature range 300–3000 K and k₂ producing OH + H₂NNO accounts for 0.02 at T > 2500 K. The predicted rate constant for the reverse reaction, NH₃ + NO₂ → NH₂ + HONO represented by 8.00 × 10^?26 × T^4.25 exp(?11,560/T) cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, is in good agreement with the experimental data. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 41: 678–688, 2009     

A mechanism for the photochemical transformation of nitrate in snow

Photochemical reactions of trace compounds in snow have important implications for the composition of the atmospheric boundary layer in snow-covered regions and for the interpretation of concentration profiles in snow and ice regarding the composition of the past atmosphere. One of the prominent reactions is the photolysis of nitrate, which leads to the formation of OH radicals in the snow and to the release of reactive nitrogen compounds, like nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂) and nitrous acid (HONO) to the atmosphere. We performed photolysis experiments using artificial snow, containing variable initial concentrations of nitrate and nitrite, to investigate the reaction mechanism responsible for the formation of the reactive nitrogen compounds. Increasing the initial nitrite concentrations resulted in the formation of significant amounts of nitrate in the snow. A possible precursor of nitrate is NO₂, which can be transformed into nitrate either by the attack of a hydroxy radical or the hydrolysis of the dimer (N₂O₄). A mechanism for the transformation of the nitrogen-containing compounds in snow was developed, assuming that all reactions took place in a quasi-liquid layer (QLL) at the surface of the ice crystals. The unknown photolysis rates of nitrate and nitrite and the rates of NO and NO₂ transfer from the snow to the gas phase, respectively, were adjusted to give an optimum fit of the calculated time series of nitrate, nitrite, and gas phase NO_x with respect to the experimental data. Best agreement was obtained with a ∼25 times faster photolysis rate of nitrite compared to nitrate. The formation of NO₂ is probably the dominant channel for the nitrate photolysis. We used the reaction mechanism further to investigate the release of NO_x and HONO under natural conditions. We found that NO_x emissions are by far dominated by the release of NO₂. The release of HONO to the gas phase depends on the pH of the snow and the HONO transfer rate to the gas phase. However, due to the small amounts of nitrite produced under natural conditions, the formation of HONO in the QLL is probably negligible. We suggest that observed emissions of HONO from the surface snow are dominated by the heterogeneous formation of HONO in the firn air. The reaction of NO₂ on the surfaces of the ice crystals is the most likely HONO source to the gas phase.     

The kinetics and mechanisms of the HO2-NO2 reactions; the significance of peroxynitric acid formation in photochemical smog

Peroxynitric acid has been identified by Fourier transform, infrared, long-path spectroscopy as a product of the UV-irradiated dilute mixtures of HONO, CO, No_x in synthetic air at 24 ± 2°C. The characteristic peaks of this compound are identical to those observed by Niki, in irradiated Cl₂, H₂, NO₂, air mixtures and Hanst, in irradiated Cl₂, CH₂O, NO₂, air mixtures. The concentration of the reactants and products of the HONO, CO, NO_x, air system have been determined as a function of irradiation time. The changes observed were computer simulated using a combination of thirty elementary reactions. The data suggests that both reactions (1) and (2) occur as a result of HO₂-NO₂ interactions in the gas phase: HO₂ + NO₂ å HONO + O₂ (1); HO₂ + NO₂(+M) å HO₂NO₂(+M)(2). The data give the preliminary estimates: k₁/k₂ ≈0.7 ±0.4; k₁/k₃ ≈ 0.043 ± 0.02; k₂/k₃ ≈ 0.058 ± 0.02, where reaction (3) is: HO₂ + NO å HO + NO₂. These data and computer simulations of sunlight-irradiated, NO_x, hydrocarbon, aldehyde-polluted atmospheres suggest that peroxynitric acid may be formed in urban atmospheres at rates which are comparable to those observed for peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), and it is concluded that HO₂NO₂ may contribute to the “oxidant” found in these atmopheres.     

Heterogeneous reactions of HONO formation from NO2 and HNO3: a review

The photolysis of nitrous acid (HONO) is an important reaction of atmospheric chemistry due to the fact that it can be the source of OH radical in the troposphere. Despite its role as a radical precursor, the chemical mechanisms leading to HONO formation are not well understood. It is commonly assumed that HONO formation is due to both homogeneous and heterogeneous processes involving NO_x (mixture of NO and NO₂) in which the kinetic and mechanistic details are still under investigation. In this discussion, we would like to highlight the formation of HONO from NO₂ and nitric acid (HNO₃) in the presence of organic particulate. We understood that in the real case, many parameters can influence the reaction mechanism; however, this is just an effort to have a better understanding of the study of HONO formation in the atmospheric process.     

An FTIR product study of the reaction between HCO and NO2

The product distribution of the reaction (1a) $$\rm\longrightarrow OH+NO+CO$$ (1b) $$\rm\longrightarrow HNO+CO_{2}$$ (1c) $$\rm\longrightarrow H+NO+CO_{2}$$ (1d) $$\rm\longrightarrow HCO_{2}+NO$$ (1e) (1f) (1g) was investigated at room temperature in the gas phase in Ar buffer gas at 570 mbar pressure by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Mixtures of NO₂/H₂CO/Ar were photolyzed under stationary conditions using a high‐pressure Hg lamp at λ = 300–340 nm. NO, CO, CO₂, HONO, and H₂O were found as major reaction products. A small amount of N₂O was detected at long reaction times. From the yields of CO and CO₂, branching ratios were found to be (k_1a + k_1b)/k₁ = (0.66 ± 0.10) and (k_1c + k_1d + k_1e)/k₁ = (0.34 ± 0.10). The formation of HONO was attributed to reaction ( 1a ) and/or reaction ( 1c ) followed by the reaction HNO + NO₂ → NO + HONO with a combined branching ratio of (k_1a + k_1c)/k₁ = (0.28 ± 0.10). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 136–145, 2000     

Computational study on the kinetics and mechanisms for the reactions of HCO with HONO and HNOH

The kinetics and mechanisms of the HCO reactions with HONO and HNOH have been studied at the G2M level of theory based on the geometric parameters optimized at BH&HLYP/6‐311G(d,p). The rate constants in the temperature range 200–3000 K at different pressures have been predicted by microcanonical RRKM and/or variational transition state theory calculations with Eckart tunneling corrections. For the HCO + HONO reaction, hydrogen abstraction from trans‐HONO and cis‐HONO by HCO produces H₂CO + NO₂, with the latter being dominant. Two other channels involving cis‐HONO by the association/decomposition mechanism via the HC(O)N(O)OH intermediate, which could fragment to give H₂O + CO + NO at high temperatures, were also found to be important. For the HCO + HNOH reaction, three reaction channels were identified: one association reaction giving a stable intermediate, HC(O)N(H)OH (LM2), and two hydrogen abstraction channels producing H₂CO and H₂NOH. The dominant products were predicted to be the formation of LM2 at low temperatures and H₂NOH + CO at middle and high temperatures. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 178–187 2004     

Experimental investigation of chamber-dependent radical sources

While environmental chamber data have been widely used to generate and validate computer models of the chemistry occurring in polluted atmospheres, the effects of the chambers on the gas-phase chemistry being studied have been poorly characterized. In order to investigate such chamber effects, a series of NO_x—air irradiations, with trace levels of organics present to monitor OH radical concentrations, have been carried out in four different environmental chambers (ranging in volume from ～100 to 40,000 L) at varying temperatures, humidities, pressures, and reaction conditions. In addition, a number of control experiments have been carried out to validate the technique for measuring OH radical levels in these irradiations. The data show that unknown sources of OH radicals are present in all of the chambers studied. The data are consistent with the presence of two distinct radical sources: (1) the photolysis of initially present HONO, whose importance increases with increasing NO₂/NO concentration ratios, but which is a minor contributor to the overall radical flux after 30–60 min of irradiation, and (2) a constant (for these NO_x—air irradiations) radical source which dominates beyond approximately the first 60 min of irradiation. The radical input rates, after the first ∽30–60 min of irradiation, are independent of the NO concentration, increase with increasing temperature, humidity, and NO₂ concentration, are proportional to light intensity, and are dependent on the chamber employed. Although the exact nature of this radical source is still undetermined, results of experiments reported here allow a number of possible mechanisms to be ruled, out, and these are discussed.     

The heterogeneous formation of N2O in the presence of acidic solutions: Experiments and modeling

We investigated the heterogeneous processes that contribute towards the formation of N₂O in an environment that comes as closely as possible to exhaust conditions containing NO and SO₂ among other constituents. The simultaneous presence of NO, SO₂, O₂, and condensed phase water in the liquid state has been confirmed to be necessary for the production of significant levels of N₂O. The maximum rate of N₂O formation occurred at the beginning of the reaction and scales with the surface area of the condensed phase and is independent of its volume. The replacement of NO by either NO₂ or HONO significantly increases the rate constant for N₂O formation. The measured reaction orders in the rate law change depending upon the choice of the nitrogen reactant used and were fractional in some cases. The rate constants of N₂O formation for the three different nitrogen reactants reveal the following series of increasing reactivity: NO < NO₂ < HONO, indicating the probable sequential involvement of those species in the elementary reactions. Furthermore, we observed a complex dependence of the rate constant on the acidity of the liquid phase where both the initial rate as well as the yield of N₂O are largest at pH=0 of a H₂SO₄/H₂O solution. The results suggest that HONO is the major reacting N(III) species over a wide range of acidities studied. The N₂O formation in synthetic flue gas may be simulated using a relatively simple mechanism based on the model of Lyon and Cole. The first step of the complex overall reaction corresponds to NO oxidation by O₂ to NO₂ mainly in the gas phase, with the presence of both H₂O and active surfaces significantly accelerating NO₂ production. Subsequently, NO₂ reacts with excess NO to obtain HONO which reacts with S(IV) to result in N₂O and H₂SO₄ through a complex reaction sequence probably involving nitroxyl (HON) and its dimer, hyponitrous acid. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet: 29 : 869–891, 1997.     

Daytime HONO formation in the suburban area of the megacity Beijing,China

Nitrous acid(HONO),as a primary precursor of OH radicals,has been considered one of the most important nitrogencontaining species in the atmosphere.Up to 30%of primary OH radical production is attributed to the photolysis of HONO.However,the major HONO formation mechanisms are still under discussion.During the Campaigns of Air Quality Research in Beijing and Surrounding Region(CAREBeijing2006)campaign,comprehensive measurements were carried out in the megacity Beijing,where the chemical budget of HONO was fully constrained.The average diurnal HONO concentration varied from 0.33 to 1.2 ppbv.The net OH production rate from HONO,POH(HONO)net,was on average(from 05:00 to 19:00)7.1×106 molecule/(cm3 s),2.7 times higher than from O3 photolysis.This production rate demonstrates the important role of HONO in the atmospheric chemistry of megacity Beijing.An unknown HONO source(Punknown)with an average of 7.3×106molecule/(cm3 s)was derived from the budget analysis during daytime.Punknown provided four times more HONO than the reaction of NO with OH did.The diurnal variation of Punknown showed an apparent photo-enhanced feature with a maximum around 12:00,which was consistent with previous studies at forest and rural sites.Laboratory studies proposed new mechanisms to recruit NO2 and J(NO2)in order to explain a photo-enhancement of of Punknown.In this study,these mechanisms were validated against the observation-constraint Punknown.The reaction of exited NO2 accounted for only 6%of Punknown,and Punknown poorly correlated with[NO2](R=0.26)and J(NO2)[NO2](R=0.35).These results challenged the role of NO2 as a major precursor of the missing HONO source.     

Rate constant for the NH3 + NO2 → NH2 + HONO reaction: Comparison of kinetically modeled and predicted results

The rate constant for the NH₃ + NO₂ rlhar2; NH₂ + HONO reaction (1) has been kinetically modeled by using the photometrically measured NO₂ decay rates available in the literature. The rates of NO₂ decay were found to be strongly dependent on reaction (1) and, to a significant extent, on the secondary reactions of NH₂ with NO_X and the decomposition of HONO formed in the initiation reaction. These secondary reactions lower the values of k₁ determined directly from the experiments. Kinetic modeling of the initial rates of NO₂ decay computed from the reported rate equation, - d[NO₂]/dt = k₁[NH₃][NO₂] based on the conditions employed led to the following expression: This result agrees closely with the values predicted by ab initio MO [G2M//B3LYP/6-311 G(d,p)] and TST calculations. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 245–251, 1997.     

FTIR spectroscopic study of the gas-phase reaction of HO2 with H2CO

The reaction of formaldehyde with HO₂ radicals in the presence of O₂ and NO₂ has been studied in a 420 ℓ reaction chamber at 0° C in 533 mbar of synthetic air. Reactants and products were measured by FTIR absorption spectrometry-Additional evidence is presented for the formation of the HOCH₂OO radical as the primary reaction product, by the IR spectroscopic identification of its NO₂ recombination product HOCH₂OONO₂. By computer simulation of the concentration-time profiles of HO₂NO₂, H₂CO and HOCH₂OONO₂, the rate constants (0°C, 533 mbar, M = air) k₁ = (1.1 ± 0.4) × 10^-13 cm³ s^-1 and k_-1 = 20_-10⁺²⁰ s^-i have been derived for the reactions (1, -1) HO₂ + H₂CO ⇌ HOCH₂OO.     

Smog chamber study of H2O2 formation in ethene?NOx and propene?NOx mixtures

Hydrogen peroxide formation in the photooxidation of CO? NO_x, ethene? NO_x, and propene? NO_x mixtures has been determined in the TVA 31 cubic meter smog chamber under the following conditions: [NO_x] ca. 22–46 ppb; ethene = 0.22–1.1 ppm, [propene] = 0.12–0.97 ppm; [H₂O] ca. 8 × 10^?3 ppm. Ethene, propene, NO, NO_x, PAN, HCHO, and CH₃CHO were also monitored. Computer modeling was performed using the gas phase ethene and propene mechanism of the Regional Acid Deposition Model. There is good agreement between the model predicted and observed H₂O₂ concentrations. However, to successfully model all the propene? NO_x experimental results, organic nitrate formation from the reaction of peroxy radicals with NO must be included in the mechanism.     

Ruthenium(III)-catalyzed mechanistic studies of oxidation of benzhydrols by sodium N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide in HCl medium

The kinetics of oxidation of benzhydrol and its p-substituted derivatives (YBH, where Y=H, Cl, Br, NO₂, CH₃, and OCH₃) by sodium N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide or chloramine-T (CAT), catalyzed by ruthenium(III) chloride, in the presence of hydrochloric acid in 30% (v/v) MeOH medium has been studied at 35°C. The reaction rate shows a first-order dependence on [CAT]_O and a fractional-order each on [ YBH]_O, [Ru(III)], and [H⁺]. The reaction also has a negative fractional-order (−0.35) behavior in the reduction product of CAT, p-toluenesulfonamide (PTS). The increase in MeOH content of the solvent medium retards the rate. The variation of ionic strength of the medium has negligible effect on the rate. Rate studies in D₂O medium show that the solvent isotope effect, k′H₂O/k′D₂O, is equal to 0.60. Proton inventory studies have been made in H₂O(SINGLEBOND)D₂O mixtures. The rates correlate satisfactorily with Hammett σ relationship. The LFE relationship plot is biphasic and the reaction constant ρ=−2.3 for electron donating groups and ρ=−0.32 for electron withdrawing groups at 35°C. Activation parameters ΔH^≠, ΔS^≠, and ΔG^≠ have been calculated. The parameters, ΔH^≠ and ΔS^≠, are linearly related with an isokinetic temperature β=334 K indicating enthalpy as a controlling factor. A mechanism consistent with the observed kinetics has been proposed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The atmospheric chemistry of the HC(O)CO radical

The chemistry of the HC(O)CO radical, produced in the oxidation of glyoxal, has been studied under conditions relevant to the lower atmosphere using an environmental chamber/Fourier Transform infrared spectrometric system. The chemistry of HC(O)CO was studied over the range 224–317 K at 700 Torr total pressure and was found to be governed by competition between unimolecular decomposition [to HCO and CO, reaction (5)] and reaction with O₂ [to form HO₂ and 2CO, reaction (6a), or HC(O)C(O)O₂, reaction (6b)]. The rate coefficient for decomposition relative to that of reaction with O₂ increases with increasing temperature. Assuming a value for k₆ of 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, the following expression for the unimolecular decomposition is obtained at 700 Torr, k₅ = 1.4⁺⁹/_−1.1 × 10¹² exp(−3160 ± 500/T). The rate coefficients for reactions (6a) and (6b) are about equal, with no strong dependence on temperature. The reaction of HC(O)C(O)O₂ with NO₂ was also studied. Final product analysis was consistent with the formation of HCO, CO₂, and NO₃ as the major products in this reaction; no evidence for the PAN‐type species, HC(O)C(O)O₂NO₂, was found even at the lowest temperature studied (224 K). The UV‐visible absorption spectrum of glyoxal is also reported; results are in substantive agreement with previous studies. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 149–156, 2001     

Temperature dependence of the unimolecular decomposition of pernitric acid and its atmospheric implications

The decay of pernitric acid (HO₂NO₂) in the presence of excess nitric oxide has been studied in a 5800-liter, Teflon-lined chamber over the temperature range 254 to 283 K at 1 atm pressure of N₂ by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A heterogeneous reaction of NO₂ and H₂O₂ was used to generate HO₂NO₂ with less than 20% HNO₃ and less than 5% NO₂ present as impurities. The HO₂NO₂ had lifetimes of 5 to 20 h in our chamber, presumably determined by heterogeneous loss to the walls. Two paths have been proposed for the reaction of NO₂ with HO₂:

(1), NO₂ + HO₂ → HONO + O₂ (2). In this study the ratio k₁/k₂ was calculated to be greater than 10³ throughout the temperature range studied. The homogeneous unimolecular decay of the HO₂NO₂, reaction (3), was investigated by adding excess NO in order to remove HO₂ by reaction (4).

(3), HO₂ + NO → NO₂ + OH (4). The rate constant k₃ was determined to be 1.4 × 10¹⁴ exp(?20700 ± 500/RT)s^?1. The thermal decomposition lifetimes of HO₂O₂ at 1 atm total pressure calculated from k₃ are 12 s at 298 K, 5 min at 273 K and 1 month at 220 K. Implications of these results for the role of pernitric acid in the lower and upper atmosphere are discussed.     

Background reactivity in smog chambers

Data from several smog chamber reaction vessels have been analyzed in an attempt to elucidate the chemical species which are responsible for chamber specific background phenomena, and the nature of the processes which determine the heterogeneous interactions of those species. There is good evidence for the emission of a compound which yields both NO_x, and free radicals (probably HONO) and emissions of reactive organics (e.g. HCHO) may also be deduced. Total integrated chamber emission of these compounds may be as high as 20 to 60 ppb during a typical smog chamber experiment. In addition to the direct emission of these contaminants, the surface reaction of NO2 and H2O to HONO is examined. In some cases this reaction may have as great an effect on a smog chamber experiment as the emission of trace contaminants. Overall chamber perturbations to gas phase chemistry have been estimated for several experiments and were found to be less than 20 percent in the majority of cases, although higher perturbations were found in experiments involving compounds of low reactivity such as butane.