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Title: Measurement of atmospheric peroxy radicals by chemical amplification

Journal Article · · Anal. Chem.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ac00272a065· OSTI ID:6030325

Presented herein is a new technique for the continuous measurement of peroxy and oxy radicals in air, based on the chain reaction in which these molecules participate to oxidize NO and CO to NO/sub 2/ and CO/sub 2/. Under typical instrument conditions, more than 1000 NO/sub 2/ molecules can be produced from each measurable radical entering the system. The NO/sub 2/ produced is measured by luminol chemiluminescence, based on the gas-surface reaction of NO/sub 2/ with a pH 12, 3 mM aqueous luminol solution. NO/sub 2/ produced from sources other than the chain reaction is measured by substitution of N/sub 2/ for CO half of the time. Therefore the radical signal is modulated with and determined by difference. The detection limit of radicals with this system is a strong function of the variability of ambient NO/sub 2/ and O/sub 3/, but usually less than 1 pptv (parts in 10/sup 12/ by volume) can be detected, with a precision of a few percent and an overall estimated accuracy of +/- 50%. Calibration procedures as well as results of some preliminary experiments using this method are presented. 26 references, 4 figures, 3 tables.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor
OSTI ID:
6030325
Journal Information:
Anal. Chem.; (United States), Vol. 56:8
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English