Infrared Spectrometry of Aerosols
Abstract
Aerosol spectrometry denotes a methodology for describing spectral effects of atmospheric constituents in quantitative, standardized, basic terms. This methodology is based on the premise that most atmospheric constituents, can be described (albeit in some cases very unconventionally) as specialized kinds of aerosols, some of which exhibit complex changes in spectral behavior between physical phases. Aerosol spectrometry permits an intuitive understanding of the spectral properties of atmospheric constituents and, very importantly, allows insights not found in traditional or purely mathematical treatments. This report discusses liquid and solid particulate aerosols, special cases including Christiansen effects and isobestics, and the phase-transitional behavior of liquid droplets in vapor. A study of this behavior led to the finding that anomalous (continuum) infrared absorption in water vapor could be attributed to liquid-like intermolecular hydrogen bonds in molecular complexes (clusters) long before this observation was made using traditional vapor spectrometric techniques. In two appendices, IR spectra are given with absorption coefficients for gases SF6 and CC12F2, and extinction by nonabsorbing spheres is considered. Keywords: Sulfur hexafluoride; Dichlorodifluoromethane; Aerosol spectrometry; Optical scattering; Methodology; Water clusters; Spheres; Approximations; Mie theory.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA213303
Entities
People
- Hugh R. Carlon
Organizations
- Edgewood Chemical Biological Center