Nonmethane hydrocarbons production

HO oxidation of CO is much faster than the reaction with methane, resulting in a mean CO lifetime of about two months, but considerably slower than reaction with the majority of the nonmethane hydrocarbons. Table I gives representative removal rates for a number of atmospheric organic compounds their atmospheric lifetimes are the reciprocals of these removal rates (see Equation E4, below). The reaction sequence R31, R13, R14, R15 constitutes one of many tropospheric chain reactions that use CO or hydrocarbons as fuel in the production of tropospheric ozone. These four reactions (if not diverted through other pathways) produce the net reaction... 

Swinnerton, Linnebom and Cheek (239) and Seiler and Junge (226) reported that the ocean, which they found to be supersaturated with CO, might be an important source. It is also possible that the oxidation of nonmethane hydrocarbons, particularly those whose production occurs over land, may be another huge source. Since, as we will see later, methane is thought to have a uniform distribution throughout the troposphere, some... 

In the troposphere, the production of ozone results from the day-time oxidation of methane, nonmethane hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide in the presence of nitrogen oxides. Under natural conditions, methane, produced in oxygen-deficient environments, is released primarily by wetlands, lakes, and rivers. Nonmethane hydrocarbons, such as isoprene and terpenes, are emitted by various types of trees. Nitric oxide is released by soils as a result of microbial activity and is produced in the atmosphere by lightning in thunderstorm systems. 

In addition to these compounds, the photochemical production of small amounts of nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) such as ethene, propene, ethane, and propane has also been reported. Production of these compounds appears to result from the photolysis of the CDOM, with O values of the order of 10 -10 . The overall... 

This article summarizes the characteristics of several important trace gases - dimethylsulfide, carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide, nonmethane hydrocarbons, ammonia and methylhalides - focusing on their production and fate as it is determined by biological and chemical processes. 

Figure 2 Simplified scheme of marine nonmethane hydrocarbon (NMHC) production. In the marine troposphere NMHC acts as a sink for hydroxyl (OH) radicals and thereby plays a key role in ozone chemistry.

Ketones are emitted directly to the atmosphere, and their sources were discussed in detail in chapter I. In the U.K. acetone and butanone comprise about 1% and 5%, respectively, of the total anthropogenic emissions of oxygenated compounds, and 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively, of the total anthropogenic emissions of nonmethane volatile organic compounds. Ketone emissions from solvents (both industrial and personal) are substantial emissions from both gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles also contribute. Ketones are also formed extensively in the atmosphere in the oxidation of other compounds. Acetone, for example is formed in the OH-initiated oxidation of propane, iio-butane, iso-pentane, and neopentane and from a number of higher hydrocarbons. It is also formed in the oxidation of terpenes. The distribution, sources, and sinks of acetone in the atmosphere have been analyzed by Simpson et al. (1994). Methyl vinyl ketone is an important first generation product in the OH-initiated oxidation of isoprene. 

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