Atmospheric chemistry
The latest chemistry news and research on our atmosphere, including air pollution, aerosols and photochemistry, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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ResearchIsotope tracking suggests that plants cycle carbon faster than previously thought
New analysis suggests that vegetation is less able to offset climate change than had previously been calculated
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ResearchHydroxide-loaded sponge soaks up atmospheric carbon dioxide
Low-cost charcoal absorbs carbon dioxide and rapidly releases it in energy-efficient process
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ResearchMonsoons launch surprising amounts of ozone-depleting substances into lower atmosphere
Findings challenge past assumptions about ozone layer recovery
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NewsEPA’s clean air rule cuts chemical plant pollution
New regulation affects about 200 facilities in the US, reducing emissions of ethylene oxide, chloroprene and three other chemicals
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OpinionWater isn’t normal
Despite its familiarity, water is a chemical oddity. But that’s what makes it fascinating
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NewsThe start-ups taking on climate change by extracting carbon dioxide from the sea
Chemistry is at the heart of bold direct ocean capture plans to remove CO2 and sequester it
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ResearchCanadian oil tar sands operations emit far more pollution than reported
Analysis of all types of organic pollution reveals emissions underreported by as much as 6300%
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OpinionAtmospheres conducive to life
Researchers propose a new biosignature that could hint at habitable exoplanets
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ResearchIodine compounds accelerate cloud formation over oceans and the poles
Newly discovered chemical mechanisms behind aerosol nucleation could improve climate models
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ResearchResearchers identify metals released into the atmosphere by satellite reentry
Metals including niobium and hafnium detected in stratospheric aerosols
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ResearchNew understanding of why supercooled water droplets sometimes explode when they freeze
Imaging experiments with thousands of observations help scientists detail complex freezing process
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ResearchVolcanic sulfur dioxide linked to oxygen level rise in Earth’s early atmosphere
Study predicts 4.3% of oxygen in atmosphere today comes from breakdown of sulfur dioxide
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ResearchAcidic proton transfer inhibited on gas-phase ice nanoparticles
Fundamental findings about nitric acid dissociation will feed into atmospheric research on ozone depletion
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ResearchPhotophysical oxidation plays newly discovered role in atmospheric chemistry
Process is likely to be a general mechanism in tropospheric chemistry, especially at low altitudes
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ResearchLife might be able to prosper in sulfuric acid clouds of Venus
Nucleic acid bases found to be stable in conditions found in the planet’s atmosphere
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ResearchVolcanoes and meteorites may have delivered catalysts for life’s beginning
Iron-rich nanoparticles can catalyse conversion of CO2 to complex organic molecules
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ResearchUnexplained increases in five atmospheric CFCs raise concerns
Emissions increased 2.6-fold between 2010 and 2020
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Research‘Incredibly important advance’ reveals how wildfires could slow ozone layer recovery
Chlorine chemistry discovery shows how wildfire aerosols can reduce ozone in southern hemisphere by up to 5%
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NewsRecord-high carbon dioxide emissions from boreal fires
Boreal fires usually produce about 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions from wildfires worldwide, but the figure peaked at one quarter in 2021
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FeatureMission to Uranus
With no spacecraft visiting the ice giants for over 30 years, Anthony King speaks to the planetary scientists planning a return visit