Homogeneous Nucleation of Sulfuric Acid and Water Mixture: Experimental Setup and First Results

0341582 - ÚCHP 2011 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Brus, David - Hyvärinen, A.-P. - Viisanen, Y. - Kulmala, M. - Lihavainen, H.
Homogeneous Nucleation of Sulfuric Acid and Water Mixture: Experimental Setup and First Results.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Roč. 10, č. 6 (2010), s. 2631-2641. ISSN 1680-7316. E-ISSN 1680-7324
Grant - others:KONE(XE) 2-1253
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40720504
Keywords : homogeneous nucleation * sulfuric acid * water mixture
Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry
Impact factor: 5.309, year: 2010
http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/10/2631/2010/

In this study we introduce a new flow tube suitable for binary and ternary homogeneous nucleation studies. The production of sulfuric acid and water vapor mixture, the experimental setup and the method of sulfuric acid concentration determination are discussed in detail. Wall losses were estimated from the measured sulfuric acid concentration profiles along the flow tube and compared to a theoretical prediction. In this investigation the experimental evidence of new particle formation was observed at a concentration of 109 molecules cm−3 of sulfuric acid and the nucleation rates measured at three relative humidities (RH) 10, 30 and 50%, cover six orders of magnitude, from 10−3 to 103 particles cm−3. Particle free air was used as a carrier gas. Our initial results are compared to the theoretical prediction of binary homogeneous nucleation, to results obtained by other investigators, and to atmospheric nucleation.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0184518