The role of aerosol composition in the chemical processes in the atmosphere

The importance of airborne particles and their composition in chemical processes in the atmosphere is discussed briefly in the first part of the paper. In the second part, the results of the study of chemical composition and reactivity of aerosols in heterogeneous aqueous systems (laboratory and field) obtained by our research group are presented. The kinetics of oxidation of S(IV) under different experimental conditions was investigated by means of a laboratory batch reactor. The effect of the interaction between aerosol particles and trace gases was examined by using a chamber experiment. Several instrumental analytical techniques were applied for the identification and determination of chemical components.