The temperature dependence of nucleation of sulfuric acid-water mixture in air

Abstract

The temperature dependence of the nucleation rate of H 2SO 4-H 2O vapor mixture is calculated using the Reiss-Doyle method. A large dependence of nucleation rate on temperature is shown when the absolute vapor pressures are kept constant for the mixture, while the dependence is slight if the relative vapor pressures are kept constant. A suggestion is made that apparent nucleation in a smog chamber may differ from that in a cloud chamber. The saturated vapor pressure of sulfuric acid is also discussed, comparing the theoretical results with experimental data on aerosol formation rate by photochemical oxidation of sulfur dioxide.