Heterogeneous reactions of soot aerosols with nitrogen dioxide and nitric acid: atmospheric chamber and Knudsen cell studies

Heterogeneous chemical processes involving trace atmospheric gases with solid particulates, such as carbonaceous aerosol, are not well understood. In an effort to quantify some relevant carbon aerosol systems, the heterogeneous chemistry of NO2 with both commercial and freshly prepared hexane soot was investigated in an atmospheric reaction chamber. At approximately an atmosphere of total pressure (760 Torr) and under dry conditions (relative humidities 1%), kinetic measurements gave an uptake coefficient of (2.4±0.6)×10−8 for n-hexane soot when referenced to the BET surface area of the sample. Commercial carbon black samples were found to yield a similar uptake coefficient. The reaction of HNO3 with commercial carbon black was also investigated and gas phase NO2 was detected as a reaction product. Low-pressure Knudsen cell experiments were carried out to facilitate a quantitative comparison between the two different techniques. The agreement between our current results and previously reported values of the uptake coefficient, with different soot samples and under varied pressure and surface coverage conditions, are discussed along with the possible implications for atmospheric chemistry.