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Science 4 February 2005:
Vol. 307. no. 5710, pp. 698 - 700
DOI: 10.1126/science.1104054
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Reports

Rapid Formation of Sulfuric Acid Particles at Near-Atmospheric Conditions

Torsten Berndt,1* Olaf Böge,1 Frank Stratmann,1 Jost Heintzenberg,1 Markku Kulmala2

We investigated the formation of new particles in a laboratory study, starting from H2SO4 produced in situ through the reaction of OH radicals with SO2. Newly formed particles were observed for H2SO4 concentrations above 7 x 106 per cubic centimeter. At 293 kelvin, a rough estimate yielded a nucleation rate of 0.3 to 0.4 particles per cubic centimeter per second for ~107 particles per cubic centimeter of H2SO4 (particle size ≥ 3 nanometers). These findings are in agreement with observations from the atmosphere. The results demonstrate that under laboratory conditions similar to the atmosphere, particle formation occurs at atmospheric H2SO4 concentration levels.

1 Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung e.V., Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
2 University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 64, FIN-00014, Finland.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: berndt{at}tropos.de

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Experimental evidence for the role of ions in particle nucleation under atmospheric conditions.
H. Svensmark, J. O. P Pedersen, N. D Marsh, M. B Enghoff, and U. I Uggerhoj (2007)
Proc R Soc A 463, 385-396
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