On the evaporation of ammonium sulfate solution.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 19861551.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.0907988106 and PMC identifier 2776437.
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Abstract
Aqueous evaporation and condensation kinetics are poorly understood, and uncertainties in their rates affect predictions of cloud behavior and therefore climate. We measured the cooling rate of 3 M ammonium sulfate droplets undergoing free evaporation via Raman thermometry. Analysis of the measurements yields a value of 0.58 +/- 0.05 for the evaporation coefficient, identical to that previously determined for pure water. These results imply that subsaturated aqueous ammonium sulfate, which is the most abundant inorganic component of atmospheric aerosol, does not affect the vapor-liquid exchange mechanism for cloud droplets, despite reducing the saturation vapor pressure of water significantly.
Medical subject headings
- Aerosols
- Ammonium Sulfate
- Phase Transition