Study points to ammonia contamination in water microdroplets saga

Nanodroplets

Source: © Angelo Cavalli/Getty Images

Replication effort attributes mass spectrometry peaks to ammonium not hydroxyl species

New mass spectrometry experiments challenge water microdroplet’s purported ability to spontaneously generate hydroxyl radicals. Led by Ryan Julian at the University of California, Riverside, US, the experiments point to trace ammonia contamination mimicking the signals previously attributed to these reactive species.