Vapor Pressures of Solid Hydrates of Nitric Acid: Implications for Polar Stratospheric Clouds

Thermodynamic data are presented for hydrates of nitric acid: HNO$_3\cdot$H$_2$O, HNO$_3\cdot$2H$_2$O, HNO$_3\cdot$3H$_2$O, and a higher hydrate. Laboratory data indicate that nucleation and persistence of metastable HNO$_3\cdot$2H$_2$O may be favored in polar stratospheric clouds over the slightly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1993-01, Vol.259 (5091), p.71-74
Main Authors: Worsnop, Douglas R., Fox, Lewis E., Zahniser, Mark S., Wofsy, Steven C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric composition. Chemical and photochemical reactions
Causes of
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Condensation
DATA
DENITRIFICATION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
Earth, ocean, space
Environmental aspects
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Exact sciences and technology
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
External geophysics
Geophysics
Hydrates
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
Ice
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
LAYERS
Metastability
Metastable atoms
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
Nucleation
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE LAYER
Ozone layer depletion
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 540120 > Environment, Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
Physics of the high neutral atmosphere
POLAR REGIONS
Pollution
REMOVAL
STRATOSPHERE
Surface layers
Thermodynamic equilibrium
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
VAPOR PRESSURE
Vapors
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Summary:Thermodynamic data are presented for hydrates of nitric acid: HNO$_3\cdot$H$_2$O, HNO$_3\cdot$2H$_2$O, HNO$_3\cdot$3H$_2$O, and a higher hydrate. Laboratory data indicate that nucleation and persistence of metastable HNO$_3\cdot$2H$_2$O may be favored in polar stratospheric clouds over the slightly more stable HNO$_3\cdot$3H$_2$O. Atmospheric observations indicate that some polar stratospheric clouds may be composed of HNO$_3\cdot$2H$_2$O and HNO$_3\cdot$3H$_2$O. Vapor transfer from HNO$_3\cdot$2H$_2$O to HNO$_3\cdot$3H$_2$O could be a key step in the sedimentation of HNO$_3$, which plays an important role in the depletion of polar ozone.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.259.5091.71