Photochemical consumption of dissolved oxygen in water: A surface process

The absorption of light by organic molecules with chromophores contribute to the formation of brown carbon in the atmosphere, which can partially counteract the expected cooling effect of aerosols on Earth's climate. The mechanisms by which these light-absorbing molecules react in atmospheric waters are of major interest as they are currently unaccounted for in climate models.

A new relevant research article in this field by chemists from the University of Kentucky reveals the importance of interfacial processes, even within the bulk of liquids that can be found in the atmosphere.

The work combined the steady production of different levels of radicals by light irradiating pyruvic acid to measure how fast dissolved oxygen is loss.

This study concluded that the reaction between the generated radicals in water and dissolved oxygen was described by a perfect Langmuir isotherm proving the occurrence of an interfacial process and enabled its parametrization

More information:
Molecules 2019, 24(6), 1124; doi:10.3390/molecules24061124
Title: The Effects of Reactant Concentration and Air Flow Rate in the Consumption of Dissolved O2 during the Photochemistry of Aqueous Pyruvic Acid
Authors: Alexis J. Eugene and Marcelo I. Guzman

Provided by University of Kentucky