Spontaneous fission of atmospheric aerosol particles

We show that spontaneous division of atmospheric aerosol particles is therm odynamically possible, in spite of the corresponding increase in surface ar ea, when there is a highly compressed organic surfactant coating on the par ticle. This class of atmospheric aerosol is thought to be present (and pote ntially important) in both marine and urban atmospheres. Fully-coated parti cles have been suggested to have played a role in the origin of cell-based life. The possibility of their spontaneous division has important implicati ons for atmospheric chemistry, radiative transfer and the evolution of life on Earth.