This project is an experimental study aimed to provide fundamental information on the oxidation of alkali and magnesium halide surfaces under dry and wet conditions. The technique of vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy will be applied to this study, which is well suited because it is sensitive to species located on solid and liquid surfaces providing molecular level information. In addition, mass spectrometry will be employed to monitor the gas phase composition, and Raman and infrared spectroscopy will provide the composition of aqueous solutions before and after reaction. More complex, atmospherically relevant systems will also be studied that include incorporation of oxygenated organic and alkyl halide compounds.
The results from these laboratory studies will help bring quantitative understanding to the mechanisms involving halogens in the marine boundary layer. This is information that can be incorporated into numerical models of atmospheric chemical processes to examine importance of these processes relative to well known gas phase processes. This project will involve significant training of students from underrepresented groups helping improve diversity in geosciences research.
