Study finds ‘millions of tons’ of extremely reactive chemical in Earth’s atmosphere
▻https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/earth-atmosphere-highly-reactive-chemical-b2092541.html
▻https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/TilRPVdZU8jEl.Fb8axrXA--~B/aD04MDY7dz0xMjAwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_independent_635/94192f736652310e566a0fbbd8914f32
Scientists have discovered an entirely new class of super-reactive chemical compounds in the Earth’s atmosphere which they say may affect both human health and global climate.
The study, published last month in the journal Science, documented for the first time the formation of so-called #trioxides – extremely oxidising chemical compounds with three oxygen atoms attached to each other.
[…]
While the study suggests that there could be plenty of chemical compounds in the air that haven’t been found yet, researchers say they are not worried about the new discovery.
“These compounds have always been around, we just didn’t know about them. But the fact that we now have evidence that the compounds are formed and live for a certain amount of time means that it is possible to study their effect more targeted and respond if they turn out to be dangerous,” Dr Grum Kjærgaard explained.
“Indeed, the air surrounding us is a huge tangle of complex chemical reactions. As researchers, we need to keep an open mind if we want to get better at finding solutions,” Dr Jing Chen concluded.
Source:
#Hydrotrioxide (#ROOOH) formation in the #atmosphere
▻https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn6012