Originally posted by molloby
Discuss the human activities that generate localised increases in NO2 concentratons and the chemical processes which prevent localised increases from being dispersed globally.
Human activites..combustion in stationary sources (power stations) and moving ones (vehicles). Basically:
N2 + O2 -> 2NO
2NO + O2 -> 2NO2
these occur at high temps both naturally in lightening and artficially in combustion chambers.
However, when oxides of nitrogen and suldur dioxide for that matter disperse through larger volume sof air, they dissolve in water droplets (rain) and so are washed out of the atmosphere:
for NOX: 2NO2 + H20 -> HNO2 + HNO3
nitrous acid in solution is catalyitically oxidised to nitric acid:
HNO2 + 02 -> 2HNO3
Hence we get ACID RAIN.
NOTE: this is important in assesing the evidence which indictaes increases in atmospheric concentration of Nox and SO2 gases.