Appendix

| B1 |

Chemistry of Atmospheric Reactions of VOCs

Leading to Smog
A.

OVERALL SUMMARY

As emitted chemicals, VOCsA don't produce smog. Oxides of

nitrogen (NOx) do. VOCs may add odor, texture (particles),
taste, even color to the air. But they don't form smog without
the presence of other pollutants. VOCs can react with
emissions from vehicles, fuel-burning power plants, and
forest res to cause air pollution problems in some areas.
Even worse, three-dimensional tropospheric air currents
transport these pollution problems from one locality/state/
region/country to another. One of those problems is smog.
Smog is a generic maladydit has no xed composition. It's
a type of air pollution. Ozone plays a role, either as a toxic
pollutant itself, or as an oxidizing agent, reacting with other
pollutants. The name is a blend of the words smoke and fog.
Some of its components are emitted; some are produced in
the troposphere (the lowest portion of earths atmosphere,
about 10 to 12 miles from the surface). Two types will be
discussed heredone involves VOCs, the other is its precursor.

B. COMBUSTION-RELATED SMOG
(CRS)
This smog is produced by a complex set of photochemical
reactions between nitrogen oxides and VOCs, or just nitrogen
oxides, in the presence of sunlight. The nitrogen oxides are
products of combustion from ground-level facilities.

CRS can be formed from just nitrogen oxides and

sunlightdwithout the presence of VOCs. This smog is
chiey nitrogen oxide (NO) and ozone (O3). CRS is
a precursor to smog based on VOCs.

Ozoneda somewhat unstable moleculedis a potent

oxidizer. By itself it can cause eye and nasal irritation. It also
has a harsh odor. Ozone is a secondary pollutant, not
directly emitted but formed in the atmosphere. UV light

(wavelength <380 nm, just below the visible range) is

generally the catalyst or initiator for producing ozone and
other secondary pollutants.

The oxides of nitrogen generally come from combustion

processes (Equations B1-1 and B1-2 below).
CRS is why cars have catalytic converters and power plant
stacks have scrubbers. The catalytic converter in automobile
exhaust system reduces air pollution by oxidizing hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), and to
a lesser extent, converting oxides of nitrogen to molecular
nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2). Oxides of nitrogen are
often called NOx, as the term refers to NO and NO2. The
scrubber on the stacks of power plants absorbs or dissolves
the oxides of nitrogen into a liquid, usually water.

C.

CHEMISTRY OF CRS

The following equations are a simplied version of several

very complicated processes.
The rst two equations are completed at ground level, as
a result of human-controlled activities (chiey combustion
processes). Nitrogen is an inert gas, present in air, and is
one feedstock to combustion processes.
N2 2O2 /2NO2

B1  1

N2 O2 /2NO

B1  2

Production of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a reddish-brown

gas, is not the common outcome, but NO2 persists in the

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