Ammonia, Acids and Environmental Surfaces

在这个项目中，化学学部的环境化学科学项目资助塔夫茨大学的Mary Jane Shultz教授研究与氨和酸有关的环境反应。从大气氮中合成氨被称为20世纪最伟大的发明；事实上，它要为养活世界上一半的人负责。年代人口。它还消耗了世界上2%以上的能源。年代的能量。不幸的是，产生并转化为肥料的氨中只有15%对粮食生产有用。多达50%的氨最终进入了空气或水源。释放到大气中的氨的命运和影响在很大程度上是未知的，然而，减轻氨的损失可能对粮食生产者产生重大的经济影响，并减少径流对供水的负面影响。模拟结果表明，氨在将硫氧化物转化为产生云的颗粒方面起着催化作用。云反过来调节地球的辐射平衡。了解粒子的形成是与气候和天气建模相关的重大挑战之一。这项工作旨在了解氨在环境中的作用，特别是在能源消耗、粮食生产和清洁水供应方面的作用。预计该项目还将对技术劳动力作出贡献；学生获得发明和应用探测表面的前沿工具的经验。数据通过化学系合作办学项目与当地中学共享；舒尔茨实验室是COOP学生的东道主。这个项目结合了新兴的光谱技术和表面科学来探测氨与表面的相互作用。表面在土壤-氨和氨-大气-气溶胶相互作用中都起着巨大的作用。探测存在于这些表面上的复杂混合物对大多数传统表面科学技术提出了挑战。有一种技术可以应对这一挑战：非线性、表面特异性振动光谱与非线性干涉测量相结合。将这项技术应用于土壤和气溶胶界面有望深入了解影响水和空气质量的相互作用。此外，对土壤化学的深入了解可以改善肥料配方，以控制释放影响食物和水的供应。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this project, the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program of the Division of Chemistry is funding Professor Mary Jane Shultz of Tufts University to investigate environmental reactions related to ammonia and acids. Synthesis of ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen has been called the greatest invention of the 20th century; indeed, it is responsible for feeding half the world?s population. It also consumes more than 2% of the World?s energy. Unfortunately, only 15% of the ammonia created and converted into fertilizer is useful for food production. As much as 50% of the ammonia produced ends up in the air or in water supplies. The fate and impact of the ammonia released into the atmosphere is largely unknown however, mitigating the loss of ammonia produced could have a major economic impact on food producers as well as reducing negative effects of runoff on water supplies. Modeling results suggest a catalytic role for ammonia in transforming sulfur oxides into particles that generate clouds. Clouds in turn modulate Earth's radiation balance. Understanding particle formation is one of the grand challenges associated with climate and weather modeling. This work is aimed at understanding the role of ammonia in the environment, especially in terms of energy consumption, food production and clean water supplies. The project is also expected to contribute to the technological workforce; students gain experience with inventing and applying forefront tools for probing surfaces. Data are shared with local secondary schools through the chemistry department COOP program; the Shultz laboratory is a host for COOP students.This project combines emerging spectroscopic techniques with surface science to probe ammonia-surface interactions. Surfaces play an outsized role both in soil-ammonia and ammonia-atmospheric-aerosol interactions. Probing complex mixtures that exist on these surfaces presents a challenge to most traditional surface science techniques. There is one technique that meets the challenge: nonlinear, surface-specific vibrational spectroscopy coupled with nonlinear interferometry. Applying this technique to soil and aerosol interfaces is expected to yield insight into interactions that impact water and air quality. Additionally, a deeper understanding of soil chemistry could lead to improved fertilizer formulations for controlled release impacting both food and water supplies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.