POTENTIAL NEW ATMOSPHERIC SOURCES AND SINKS OF ODD NITROGEN - SOURCESINVOLVING THE EXCITED O-2, AND THE N2O-CENTER-DOT-O-3 SPECIES

The NO and NO, radicals play important roles in atmospheric chemistry. This paper, therefore, theoretically discusses the following speculat ions: (1) the O-2 (B(3)Sigma) + N-2 --> 2NO reaction, and perhaps the photoexcitation of the N-2.O-2 dimers (or collision complexes) by Herz berg band photons as well, may be potentially important atmospheric so urces of odd-nitrogen, (2) there is a tantalizing potential for a subs tantive NO, production of the order of 1200 NOx cm(-3) s(-1) in the up per troposphere subject to certain condition, and (3) photodissociatio n of the possible N2O.O-3 species in the 320 to 430 nm may be a non-tr ivial source of NOx in the upper troposphere. Experimental studies of these ideas are needed, due to their relevance in regional pollution a nd global change issues.