Author(s)

K.M. Cooke and E.A. Oberlander

Abstract

Development of a Technique to Measure Tropospheric OH using Liquid Derivatisation and HPLC with Fluorescence Detection Guest contribution KM Cooke and E A Oberlander Max-Planck-Institutfur Chemie, Abt Chemie der Atmosphare, Postfach 3060, D-55020 Mainz, Germany Introduction The OH radical is one of the most important oxidants in the troposphere, as it initiates the daytime photochemical degradation of carbon monoxide, methane and other hydrocarbons. It is, however, one of the most challenging species to measure in ambient air, with maximum daytime concentrations of 1-10 x l(f molecules/cm^ and a chemical lifetime of an individual molecule of approximately 1 s in the clean troposphere (Crosley, 1995). The primary source of OH is the photolysis of ozone to form an electronically excited O(^D) atom followed by its reaction with water (Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts, 1986).

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