Studies of NOx photochemistry on surfaces as a heterogeneous source of nitrous acid

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The Division of Chemistry supports Jonathan Raff of the University of California - Irvine as an American Competitiveness in Chemistry Fellow. Dr. Raff will study the heterogeneous reactions of NOx compounds under atmospherically-relevant conditions. Specifically, he will investigate the mechanism for the heterogeneous production of HONO from nitrogen dioxide. Raff will work in collaboration with scientists at Irvine as well as at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In his plan for broadening participation, Dr. Raff will work with students and teachers (Grades 7-12) from the Los Angeles metropolitan area to develop curriculum materials that explore the chemistry of nitrogen oxides in the environment.Research like that of Dr. Raff is aimed at developing a better understanding of the chemistry that takes place in the atmosphere. The presence of minute quantities of some chemical species can have profound effects on the chemical composition of the atmosphere. The collection of all of these species, and their interactions is like a horrendously complicated puzzle. Dr. Raff is exploring one of the missing pieces of this complex chemical puzzle. The curriculum development work that Raff is undertaking is devoted to increasing the interest in chemistry by underrepresented students in the Los Angeles area.