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

Related authors

Cost-effective off-grid automatic precipitation samplers for pollutant and biogeochemical atmospheric deposition
Alessia A. Colussi, Daniel Persaud, Melodie Lao, Bryan K. Place, Rachel F. Hems, Susan E. Ziegler, Kate A. Edwards, Cora J. Young, and Trevor C. VandenBoer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3697–3718, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3697-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3697-2024, 2024
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Gases | Technique: Laboratory Measurement | Topic: Validation and Intercomparisons
A nitrate ion chemical-ionization atmospheric-pressure-interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer (NO3 ToFCIMS) sensitivity study
Stéphanie Alage, Vincent Michoud, Sergio Harb, Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault, Manuela Cirtog, Avinash Kumar, Matti Rissanen, and Christopher Cantrell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4709–4724, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4709-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4709-2024, 2024
Short summary
Calibration of Hydroxyacetonitrile (HOCH2CN) and Methyl isocyanate (CH3NCO) Isomers using I- Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry (CIMS)
Zachary Finewax, Aparajeo Chattopadhyay, J. Andrew Neuman, James Roberts, and James Burkholder
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-94,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-94, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
Short summary
Two new 222Rn emanation sources – a comparison study
Tanita J. Ballé, Stefan Röttger, Florian Mertes, Anja Honig, Petr Kovar, Petr P. S. Otáhal, and Annette Röttger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2055–2065, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2055-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2055-2024, 2024
Short summary
A traceable and continuous flow calibration method for gaseous elemental mercury at low ambient concentrations
Teodor D. Andron, Warren T. Corns, Igor Živković, Saeed Waqar Ali, Sreekanth Vijayakumaran Nair, and Milena Horvat
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1217–1228, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1217-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1217-2024, 2024
Short summary
Measurements of atmospheric C10–C15 biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) with sorbent tubes
Heidi Hellén, Toni Tykkä, Simon Schallhart, Evdokia Stratigou, Thérèse Salameh, and Maitane Iturrate-Garcia
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 315–333, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-315-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-315-2024, 2024
Short summary

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. 
Download
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.