Abstract :
Iron plays an important role in the chemistry and physics (by varying the hygroscopicity) of the atmosphere. Bulk samples were taken from an air-conditioning device, from the electrofilter of a gas-oil power station of the Technical University of and from rural sites near Darmstadt, situated between medium-altitude mountains and with a climate dominated by air masses from the west. Samples were collected in urban and rural (meadow) air, from different waste incineration power stations, from the exhausts of a gasoline and from a diesel motor car, and from a private gas fired heating system. The samples were characterized for elemental composition by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), M??bauer spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The total Fe content varied in a large range from 10 to 1900 ng Fem^-3 air or from 10 to 560mg Feg^-1 aerosol. Iron compounds were identified as goethite, hematite, magnetite, Fe silicates, Fe sulfates, and Fe containing alloys.
