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Laboratory studies of atmospheric sulfur chemistry using tunable diode laser probes

Conference ·
OSTI ID:500939
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States)
Tunable lead-salt diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) provides a sensitive and versatile probe for the study of the kinetics and mechanisms of atmospheric reactions. In the laboratory, the combination of laser flash photolysis with TDLAS detection of reactant and/or product species has proven useful in several studies of the gas phase oxidation of the atmospheric sulfur compound dimethylsulfide (DMS), a process which may play an important role in global climate modification/regulation. Typically a radical species is produced by UV laser photolysis of a stable precursor in a slowly flowing mixture of reactant and buffer gases. The concentration of this radical or a selected reaction product is then followed by TDLAS on a time scale of microseconds to milliseconds. This method allows direct determination of reaction rates and product branching ratios over a range of temperature, pressure and reactant concentrations in complete isolation from reactor surfaces.
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI ID:
500939
Report Number(s):
CONF-960848--; ISBN 0-8194-2222-3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English