Mercury Speciation upon BrO Initiated |Reactions of Elemental Mercury: Atmospheric Implications

摘要

Mercury is a toxic element and an important pollutant due to its accumulation in some aquatic organisms. Amongst the major atmospheric oxidants, BrO initiated oxidation of mercury has suggested to be a key player in the rapid mercury depletion events in the Arctic. We performed a product study of BrO initiated oxidation of mercury at near atmospheric pressure of c.a., 750 Torr and room temperature (T = 298 + - 2 K) in air and N_2 diluents. Reaction products were analyzed in the gas phase from the suspended aerosols and from the well of reaction flask using chemical and electron impact ionization mass spectrometer, gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS), cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometer (CVAFS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive spectrometry and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer. We observed different oxidation forms of mercury in gas-aerosol mixture. Some results and their potential implications in the biogeochemical cycling of mercury are herein discussed.