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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Professor discusses reactive nitrogen

Students and faculty gathered Thursday in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs to learn about the atmospheric-terrestrial exchange of nitrous acid on a molecular level.

Nitrous acid is a volatile acidic compound that plays an important role in ozone formation in the earth’s lower atmosphere, also known as the 
troposphere.

Nitrous acid is produced by the reaction of nitric oxide with water, which quickly breaks down into hydroxyl radicals when this reaction takes place on the surface of atmospheric aerosols. Exposure to hydroxyl radicals can cause damage to cells in biological systems, including those of humans.

IU chemistry assistant professor Jonathan Raff spoke about a variety of scientific techniques that have enabled researchers to understand when and where nitrous acid is produced, as well as what happens to it after it is formed.

Despite the fact that nitrous acid was detected in the atmosphere more than 30 years ago, Raff said relatively little is known or understood about its sources and sinks.

“It’s extremely difficult to measure nitrous acid,” Raff said. “It’s only been very recently that we’ve been able to touch it.”

Raff’s area of research involves environmental and atmospheric chemistry, with a particular focus on chemical reactions on surfaces and their effects on air pollution, human health and global climate, according to his biography on SPEA’s website.

By sharing the results of various experiments he and his students conducted, Raff demonstrated their most current knowledge surrounding biogenic emissions of nitrous acid from soil, specifically regarding what organisms are responsible for producing nitrous acid and under what conditions they thrive.

Experiments examined nitrous acid from nitrate photochemistry and humic acid, thermosources of nitrous acid, microbial sources of nitrous acid, and the relationship between nitrous acid flux and soil conditions using 
Indiana soil.

Raff said there were many questions left unanswered though the results of this research have increased their knowledge base on the subject.

The seminar also provided time during which attendees could ask Raff questions as well as offer their own reactions to the results.

Experiments utilized a variety of approaches, including ambient pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry, high-finesse cavity spectroscopy techniques, and genomic techniques, according to SPEA’s website.

Some of the experiments were conducted in the Raff Laboratory, which is located in the new Multidisciplinary Science 
Building II.

In addition to experimentation with soil, the laboratory has been used to conduct research involving the effects of chemical reactions occurring on urban infrastructure, vegetation and airborne aerosols, according to the laboratory’s website.

Raff earned his Ph.D. at IU and has been a SPEA faculty member since 2010.

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