title: Mass spectrometric contributions to problems related to the chemistry of atmospheres.
abstract: Recent mass spectrometric studies of species and processes relevant to the chemistry of atmospheres are reported. New species have been detected, including HO(3); a stratospheric reservoir of OH radicals; the [H(2)O(+)O(2)(-)] charge transfer complex, central to the atmospheric photonucleation theory; and the OSOSO oxide and its cation, likely present in the Io's atmosphere. As to ionic processes, a new route to tropospheric N(2)O in air ionized by lightning and coronas is reported, as well as the complex chemistry promoted by ionization of ozone/freon and ozone/carbonyl sulfide mixtures and the formation of O(5)(+), relevant to the problem of (18)O excess in stratospheric ozone.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Studi di Chimica e Tecnologia delle Sostanze Biologicamente Attive dell'Università "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Petris
mesh_terms: D000390:Air Ionization; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005740:Gases