Phys.org November 25, 2019
An international team of researchers (USA – University of Nebraska, University of Pennsylvania, Finland, China) has identified a catalytic reaction between methanol and SO3, catalyzed by SA, DMA, or water that was previously overlooked. The catalytic reaction between methanol and SO3 can convert methanol into a methyl hydrogen sulfate (MHS). Their simulation results suggest that the formation of MHS consumes an appreciable amount of atmospheric SO3, disfavoring further reactions of SO3 with H2O. They show that MHS formation can cause a reduction of SA concentration up to 87%. Hence, a high abundance of methanol in the atmosphere can lower the particle nucleation rate by as much as two orders of magnitude. Such a quenching effect suggests that the recently identified catalytic reactions between alcohols and SO3 need to be considered in atmospheric modeling in order to predict SA concentration from SO2, while also account for their potentially negative effect on new particle formation…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
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