Articles | Volume 13, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5873-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5873-2020
Research article
 | 
06 Nov 2020
Research article |  | 06 Nov 2020

A portable, robust, stable, and tunable calibration source for gas-phase nitrous acid (HONO)

Melodie Lao, Leigh R. Crilley, Leyla Salehpoor, Teles C. Furlani, Ilann Bourgeois, J. Andrew Neuman, Andrew W. Rollins, Patrick R. Veres, Rebecca A. Washenfelder, Caroline C. Womack, Cora J. Young, and Trevor C. VandenBoer

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Cited articles

Braman, R. S. and de la Cantera, M. A.: Sublimation sources for nitrous acid and other nitrogen compounds in air, Anal. Chem., 58, 1533–1537, https://doi.org/10.1021/ac00298a059, 1986. 
Chai, J., Miller, D. J., Scheuer, E., Dibb, J., Selimovic, V., Yokelson, R., Zarzana, K. J., Brown, S. S., Koss, A. R., Warneke, C., and Hastings, M.: Isotopic characterization of nitrogen oxides (NOx), nitrous acid (HONO), and nitrate (pNO3-) from laboratory biomass burning during FIREX, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 6303–6317, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-6303-2019, 2019. 
Cheng, P., Cheng, Y., Lu, K., Su, H., Yang, Q., Zou, Y., Zhao, Y., Dong, H., Zeng, L., and Zhang, Y.: An online monitoring system for atmospheric nitrous acid (HONO) based on stripping coil and ion chromatography, J. Environ. Sci. (China), 25, 895–907, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-0742(12)60251-4, 2013. 
Collins, D. B., Hems, R. F., Zhou, S., Wang, C., Grignon, E., Alavy, M., Siegel, J. A., and Abbatt, J. P. D.: Evidence for gas-surface equilibrium control of indoor nitrous acid, Environ. Sci. Technol., 52, 12419–12427, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b04512, 2018. 
Crilley, L. R., Kramer, L., Pope, F. D., Whalley, L. K., Cryer, D. R., Heard, D. E., Lee, J. D., Reed, C., and Bloss, W. J.: On the interpretation of in situ HONO observations via photochemical steady state, Faraday Discuss., 189, 191–212, https://doi.org/10.1039/c5fd00224a, 2016. 
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Short summary
Nitrous acid (HONO) is a key intermediate in the generation of oxidants and fate of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere. High-purity calibration sources that produce stable atmospherically relevant levels under field conditions have not been made to date, reducing measurement accuracy. In this study a simple salt-coated tube humidified with water vapor is demonstrated to produce pure stable low levels of HONO, with modifications allowing the generation of higher amounts.