Abstract
The fate of stratospheric ions was, until recently, thought to be spontaneous neutralisation following mutual recombination of oppositely charged species. According to Ferguson1–3 this need not necessarily apply for sufficiently complex cluster ions, as clustering may stabilise ions against neutralisation. Thus, if neutralisation does not occur, stable ion pairs may be formed. This possibility seemed more likely after the first simultaneous composition measurements of stratospheric positive and negative ions4–6 revealed the presence of species more stable than those predicted on theoretical grounds; this led to consideration of a possible role of ion pairs in aerosol formation7. Here the formation of ion pairs is investigated in the light of new stratospheric ion composition data. Interactions of ion pairs with other stratospheric constituents, and their significance for aerosol and trace gases is discussed and an experimental check of the existence of the hypothetical stratospheric ion pairs is suggested.
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