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Detection of nitric acid (HNO3) in the atmosphere using the LOPAP technique

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Abstract

A new instrument (LOPAP: LOng Path liquid Absorption Photometer) for the sensitive detection of nitric acid (HNO3) in the atmosphere is described. HNO3 is sampled in a temperature controlled stripping coil mounted in an external sampling module to minimize sampling artefacts in sampling lines. After conversion into a strongly absorbing dye, HNO3 is detected in long path absorption in special Teflon® AF 2400 tubes used as liquid core wave guides. For the correction of some interferences, due to for example HONO and particle nitrate, two channels are used in series. The interferences from several potential interfering compounds including particle nitrate were quantified in the laboratory and in a large outdoor simulation chamber. With the exception of the interference caused by N2O5, which is quantitatively measured by the instrument, all tested interferences can be corrected under atmospheric conditions. Thus, in the instrument only the sum of N(V) from HNO3 and N2O5 is determined, which is expected to be a common problem of wet chemical HNO3 instruments. The instrument has a detection limit of 5–30 pptv for a time response of 6–2 min, respectively and was validated against the FTIR technique in a large outdoor simulation chamber. In addition, the applicability of the instrument was demonstrated in a field campaign.

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Acknowledgement

The financial support by the German Environment Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt - DBU), Contract no. 19142, the European Commission within the EUROCHAMP project, Contract no. RII3-CT-2004-505968, and the continuous technical support by QUMA Elektronik & Analytik GmbH, Wuppertal, Germany during the development of the HNO3 instrument is gratefully acknowledged. In addition, the authors are indebted to Dr. Klaus Wirtz and Dr. M. Martin Reviejo, Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterraneo (CEAM), for providing the simulation chamber data. DuPont is gratefully acknowledged for the license agreement for the scientific use of the Teflon® AF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physikalische Chemie/FB C, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, 42097, Wuppertal, Germany

    Jörg Kleffmann, Traian Gavriloaiei, Yasin Elshorbany & Peter Wiesen

  2. Fundación Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo (CEAM), 46980, Paterna, Valencia, Spain

    Milagros Ródenas

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  1. Jörg Kleffmann
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  2. Traian Gavriloaiei
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Correspondence to Jörg Kleffmann.

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Kleffmann, J., Gavriloaiei, T., Elshorbany, Y. et al. Detection of nitric acid (HNO3) in the atmosphere using the LOPAP technique. J Atmos Chem 58, 131–149 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-007-9083-9

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