Development and application of a photofragmentation/laser-induced fluorescence detection system for atmospheric nitrous acid

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5246233

Rodgers, M O

An in situ laser-based detection system for atmospheric HONO has been built and tested. In this system, HONO was photofragmented at 355 nm and the resulting OH photofragment was detected by laser-induced fluorescence. This technique has proven to be both highly sensitive and specific for the detection of HONO. The instrument has been calibrated using two different approaches, one based on standard addition of HONO, the second based on an OH calibration procedure. Both approaches were shown to be in excellent agreement with theory. Sampling losses were evaluated both theoretically and experimentally and were found to be insignificant. The sensitivity of the newly developed photofragmentation/laser-induced fluorescence (PF-LIF) system was found to be quite good with the detection limit being in the low tens of parts-per-trillion for integration times of sixteen minutes or less.

• Research Organization: Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5246233
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
AIR POLLUTION MONITORS
CALIBRATION
DESIGN
FLUORESCENCE
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LASERS
LUMINESCENCE
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORS
NITROUS ACID
POLLUTION
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS