N2O5 oxidizes chloride to Cl2 in acidic atmospheric aerosol.
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 18599742.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/science.1158777.
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Abstract
Molecular chlorine (Cl2) is an important yet poorly understood trace constituent of the lower atmosphere. Although a number of mechanisms have been proposed for the conversion of particle-bound chloride (Cl-) to gas-phase Cl2, the detailed processes involved remain uncertain. Here, we show that reaction of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) with aerosol-phase chloride yields Cl2 at low pH (<2) and should constitute an important halogen activation pathway in the atmosphere.