From sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid.From sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid The chemical paths leading from sulfur dioxide (SO2) molecules to sulfate sulfate, chemical compound containing the sulfate (SO4) radical. Sulfates are salts or esters of sulfuric acid, H2SO4, formed by replacing one or both of the hydrogens with a metal (e.g., sodium) or a radical (e.g., ammonium or ethyl). (SO4=) ions, a key component of acid rain, are many and varied. One possible path is the oxidation of sulfur dioxide in cloud and fog water droplets. Although that reaction has been studied for nearly a century, its mechanism is still not completely understood. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley (Calif.) Laboratory have now identified a previously undetected intermediate chemical species that may play an important role in the formation of sulfate ions. Reporting the Aug. 14 SCIENCE, S.G. Chang, D. Littlejohn and K.Y. Hu suggest that the reaction between bisulfite bi·sul·fite n. 1. The univalent inorganic acid group HSO3. 2. A salt of sulfurous acid containing this group. (HSO HSO Hartford Symphony Orchestra HSO Health and Safety Officer HSO Huntsville Symphony Orchestra HSO Homeostatic Soil Organism HSO Health Service Ombudsman (UK) HSO Health Sciences Online HSO Human Services Officer 3-) ions and oxygen produces disulfate (S2O S2O Support to Operations (UK) 7=) ions, which then combine with water and decay into sulfate and hydrogen ions. Their conclusion is based on the spectroscopic spec·tro·scope n. An instrument for producing and observing spectra. spec  tro·scop study of a rapidly mixed flow system at a pressure high enough to ensure a sufficiently large dissolved oxygen concentration. That technique allows researchers to monitor all chemical species present during the reaction.
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