The nitrate radical: Physics,chemistry, and the atmosphere

This review surveys the present state of knowledge of the nitrate (NO₃ radical. Laboratory data on the physics and chemistry of the radical and atmospheric determination of the concentrations of the radical are both considered. One aim of the review is to highlight the relationship between the laboratory and the atmospheric studies. Although the emphasis of the review is on gas-phase processes, relevant studies conducted in condensed phases are mentioned because of their potential importance in the interpretation of cloud and aerosol chemistry.The spectroscopy, structure, and photochemistry of the radical are examined. Here, the object is to establich the spectroscopic basis for detection of the radical and measurement of its concentration in the laboratory and in the atmosphere. Infrared, visible, and paramagnetic resonance spectra are considered. An important quantity discussed is the absorption cross section in the visible region, which is required for quantitative measurements. Interpretation of the spectroscopic features requires an understanding of the geometrical and electronic structure of the radical in its ground and excited states; there is still some controversy about the groundstate geometry, but the most recent experimental evidence 9eg from laser induced fluorescence) and theoretical calculations suggest that the radical has D_3h symmetry. Photodissociation of the radical is important in the atmosphere, and the product channels, quantum yields, and dissociation dynamics are discussed. A short examination of the thermodynamics (heat and entropy of formation) of the radical is presented.The main exposition of laboratory studies of the chemistry of the nitrate radical is preceded by a consideration of the techniques used for kinetic and mechanistic studies. Methods for the generation and detection of the radical and the kinetic tools employed are all presented. The exact nature of the technique used in individual studies has some relevance to the way in which data must be analysed, and to the type of mechanistic information that can be extracted. Continuous and stopped flow, flash photolysis and pulse radiolysis, molecular modulation, and static reactor techniques can all provide absolute kinetic data, while relative rate measurements have been a further rich source of information.The treatment of the chemical reactions of the nitrate radical is formally divided into the interactions with non-radical inorganic (deemed to include NO and NO₂) and organic species, and with atoms and free radicals. In general, the reactions with open-shell species are much more rapid than those with closed-shell reactants. With the closed-shell partners, addition reactions are faster than abstraction reactions. An attempt is made to consider critically the published data on most reactions of importance, and to tabulate rate constants and temperature dependences where possible. However, it is not the objective of this review to provide recommendations for rate parameters. Evidence for the products of the reactions is sought, and for the branching ratios into the various channels where more than one exists. One theme of this part of the review is the elucidation of correlations of reactivity with structure and with the reactions of other radical species such as OH.The review turns next to a consideration of the role of NO₃ in the atmosphere, of its atmospheric sources and sinks, and of field measurements of concentrations of the radical. Long-path visible-absorption spectroscopy and matrix-isolation ESR have both been used successfully in field measurements in the troposphere as well as the stratosphere. Balloon-borne instruments and ground-based remote sensing have been used to obtain stratospheric concentrations. Two of the most important implications of the measurements are that the stratospheric profiles are consistent with accepted chemistry (and, in particular, do not require the postulation of an unidentified scavenging mechanism that had, at one stage, been proposed), and that the highly variable night-time tropospheric concentrations imply that NO₃ is a reactive tropospheric constituent. The inter-relation between laboratory studies and atmospheric observations, and the problems in extrapolating laboratory data to atmospheric conditions, are both explored. Initiation of night-time chemical transformations by NO₃ and the possible production of OH are considered. The available information is then brought together to see how far NO₃ is a sensitive indicator of the state of the atmosphere, and some speculations are presented about the involvement of NO₃ (or N₂O₅) in damage to trees and plants.The final section of the review suggests some issues that remain unresolved concerning the NO₃ radical which is directly or indirectly relevant to a better knowledge of the part played by the radical in the atmosphere. Amongst the requirements noted are improved data for the heat of formation of the radical, its absorption cross section in the visible region (and, especially, the temperature dependence of the cross section), and the details of its photochemistry. There is also still a need for a definitive determination of the equilibrium constant and its temperature dependence for the association with NO₂ and the reverse dissociation of N₂O₅. A series of chemical reactions deserves further investigation, especially with regard to elucidation of product channels, and overall oxidation mechanisms also need to be defined better. Future atmospheric studies that are desirable include study of basic NO₃ chemistry in the field to understand the influence of humidity on the conversion (probably on surfaces) of N₂O₅ to HNO₃, and thus on NO₃ concentrations. In addition, a study of the chemistry of NO₃ in the presence of volatile organic compounds and at elevated concentrations of the oxides of nitrogen should help in the understanding of, for example, polluted marine coasts, forests, and urban areas.