A New Mechanism of Acid Rain Generation from HOSO at the Air-Water Interface.
Manuel F Ruiz-LopezMarilia T C Martins-CostaJosep M AngladaJoseph S FranciscoPublished in: Journal of the American Chemical Society (2019)
The photochemistry of SO2 at the air-water interface of water droplets leads to the formation of HOSO radicals. Using first-principles simulations, we show that HOSO displays an unforeseen strong acidity (pKa = -1) comparable with that of nitric acid and is fully dissociated at the air-water interface. Accordingly, this radical might play an important role in acid rain formation. Potential implications are discussed.
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