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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Computation of Atmospheric Concentrations of Molecular Clusters from ab initio Thermochemistry
Published on: April 8, 2020
N2O5 oxidizes chloride to Cl2 in acidic atmospheric aerosol
James M Roberts1, Hans D Osthoff, Steven S Brown
1Chemical Sciences Division, Earth System Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Boulder, CO 80305, USA. James.M.Roberts@noaa.gov
Abstract:
Molecular chlorine (Cl2) is an important yet poorly understood trace constituent of the lower atmosphere. Although a number of mechanisms have been proposed for the conversion of particle-bound chloride (Cl-) to gas-phase Cl2, the detailed processes involved remain uncertain. Here, we show that reaction of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) with aerosol-phase chloride yields Cl2 at low pH (<2) and should constitute an important halogen activation pathway in the atmosphere.
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