An investigation of N2O production from quenching of OH(A 2Σ+) by N2

Production of N2O from collisional quenching of electronically excited OH(A 2Σ+) by N2 was investigated in order to establish the importance of this process in the atmospheric budget of N2O. The experimental approach, sequential pulsed laser production and excitation of OH combined with N2O detection by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, minimizes interferences from potential artifact sources of N2O. The quantum yield for production of N2O is found to be less than 1×10−4, i.e., more than 100 times lower than the threshold for atmospheric importance.