Probe Experiments Research Articles

Efficient removal of size-fractionated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in WWTPs secondary effluent by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) activated potassium peroxymonosulfate (PMS)

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in secondary effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have a size-fractionated character and conventional processes have difficulties in removing ARGs and MGEs. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the removal efficiency, removal mechanism and regeneration potential of size-fractionated ARGs and MGEs by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and ascertain their potential hosts in secondary effluent. The proportion of particle-associated (PA)-ARGs and PA-MGEs was 85.07 %, followed by free-living (FL) fraction (14.91 %) and cell-free (CF) fraction (0.02 %). More than 95.00 %∼99.99 % of ARGs and MGEs in PA- and CF- fractions were removed by VUV/PMS, but the average removal efficiency of FL-ARGs and FL-MGEs was 66.15 %. Compared to the regeneration potential of PA- and CF-ARGs and MGEs (0.02 < C/C0 < 5.27), the regeneration occurred mainly in FL-ARGs and FL-MGEs (0.08 < C/C0 < 24.06). ·OH was the dominant radical (16.810 × 10-6 mol/L) in VUV/PMS for the removal of size-fractionated ARGs and MGEs from the secondary effluent, while SO4-· (4.478 × 10-6 mol/L) played a supporting role in the system based on the quenching experiment, electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer and probe experiments. Based on full-scale classification, conditionally rare or abundant taxa (CRAT) were the core potential hosts in PA-, FL- and CF- fractions, while rare taxa (RT) and conditionally rare taxa (CRT) potential hosts were more diverse in the three fractions. This study suggests that VUV/PMS can effectively remove size-fractionated ARGs and MGEs from secondary effluent and thereby obviously reduce their dissemination risk to receiving water bodies, providing technical support for the engineering application of VUV/PMS in full-scale WWTPs.

Water-Hydrocarbon Interactions in Anionic Pyrene Monohydrate.

Interactions between water and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are essential in many aspects of chemistry, from interstellar and atmospheric processes to interfacial hydrophobicity and wetting phenomena. Despite their growing importance, the intermolecular potentials of the water-hydrocarbon interactions are underdeveloped compared to the water-water potentials, and there are similarly few experimental probes that are sensitive to the details of the water-hydrocarbon potential. We present a combined experimental and computational study of anionic pyrene monohydrate, one of the simplest water/hydrocarbon clusters. The action spectrum in the OH region of the mass-selected cluster ion provides a rigorous benchmark for intermolecular potentials and computational methodologies. We identify missing intermolecular interactions and shortcomings in conventional dynamics calculations by comparing experimental data to density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics calculations. Kinetic trapping is prevalent, even for one water molecule and one pyrene molecule, leading to slow equilibration in conventional molecular dynamics calculations, even on nanosecond time scales and at low temperatures (50 K). At constant energy, temperature fluctuations for the pair of molecules are substantial. Immersing the system in a bath of soft spheres and employing parallel tempering alleviates kinetic trapping and dampens temperature fluctuations, bringing the system closer to the thermodynamic limit. With such augmented sampling, a simple, flexible water model reproduces the line width and the asymmetric broadening of the symmetric OH stretching mode, which we assign to spectral diffusion. In the OH stretching region, dynamics calculations predict a more intense antisymmetric peak than experiments observe but do not predict the bimodal split symmetric peak that the experiments show. Our work suggests that electronic polarization, missing in the empirical force field, is responsible for the first discrepancy and that quantum nuclear effects, captured neither in density functional theory nor in classical dynamics, may be responsible for the second.

Phosphate-mediated degradation of organic pollutants in water with peroxymonosulfate revisited: Radical or non-radical oxidation?

Whilst it is generally recognized that phosphate enables to promote the removal of some organic pollutants with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) oxidation, however, there is an ongoing debate as to whether free radicals are involved. By integrating different methodologies, here we provide new insights into the reaction mechanism of the binary mixture of phosphates (i.e., NaH2PO4, Na2HPO3, and NaH2PO2) with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Enhanced degradation of organic pollutants and observation of 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) adducts (i.e. DMPOOH and 5,5-dimethyl-2-oxopyrroline-1-oxyl (DMPOX)) with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in most phosphates/PMS system seemly support a radical-dominant mechanism. However, fluorescence probe experiments confirm that no significant amount of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) are produced in such reaction systems. PMS in the phosphate solutions (without any organics) remains relatively stable, but is only consumed while organic substrates are present, which is distinct from a typical radical-dominant Co2+/PMS system where PMS is continuously decomposed. Through density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the energy barriers of the phosphates/PMS reaction processes are greatly decreased when non-radical mechanism dominates. Complementary evidence suggests that the reactive intermediates of PMS-phosphate complex, rather than the free radicals, are capable of oxidizing electron-rich substrates such as DMPO and organic pollutants. Taking the case of phosphate/PMS system as an example, this study demonstrates the necessity of acquisition of lines of evidence for resolving paradoxes in identifying EPR adducts.

Subradiant plasmonic cavities make bright polariton states dark.

Nanostructured plasmonic surfaces allow for precise tailoring of electromagnetic modes within sub-diffraction mode volumes, boosting light-matter interactions. This study explores vibrational strong coupling (VSC) between molecular ensembles and subradiant "dark" cavities that support infrared quadrupolar plasmonic resonances (QPLs). The QPL mode exhibits a dispersion characteristic of bound states in the continuum (BIC). That is, the mode is subradiant or evanescent at normal incidence and acquires increasing "bright" dipole character with larger in-plane wavevectors. We deposited polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) thin films on QPL substrates to induce VSC with the carbonyl stretch in PMMA and measured the resulting infrared (IR) spectra. Our computational analysis predicts the presence of "dark" subradiant polariton states within the near-field of the QPL mode, and "bright" collective molecular states. This finding is consistent with classical and quantum mechanical descriptions of VSC that predict hybrid polariton states with cavity-like modal character and N-1 collective molecular states with minimal cavity character. However, the behaviour is opposite of what is standardly observed in VSC experiments that use "bright" cavities, which results in "bright" polariton states that can be spectrally resolved as well as N-1 collective molecular states that are spectrally absent. Our experiments confirm a reduction of molecular absorption and other spectral signatures of VSC with the QPL mode. In comparison, our experiments promoting VSC with dipolar plasmonic resonances (DPLs) reproduce the conventional behavior. Our results highlight the significance of cavity mode symmetry in modifying the properties of the resultant states from VSC, while offering prospects for direct experimental probing of the N-1 molecule-like states that are usually spectrally "dark".

Single Crystal Growth and X-ray Diffraction Characterization of a Quasi-Spin Chain Compound, Li2CuO2

We report the growth of single crystals and X-ray diffraction characterization of the quasi-one-dimensional spin chain compound, Li2CuO2. The single crystals were grown using the high-temperature solution growth technique. The resulting blade-shaped crystals exhibit a shiny black color, with dimensions reaching several millimeters along the crystallographic b-axis. The as-grown crystals were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction and Laue back reflection. The I-centered orthorhombic, Immm, structure was confirmed. Crystal structure parameters were determined to be a = 3.6744 Å, b = 2.8600 Å, and c = 9.4257 Å from Rietveld analysis. Our work helps to remove obstacles to the synthesis and study of a model cuprate system, Li2CuO2, facilitating the use of experimental probes that require sizable crystals.

Syntropic spin alignment at the interface between ferromagnetic and superconducting nitrides.

The magnetic correlations at the superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) interfaces play a crucial role in realizing dissipation-less spin-based logic and memory technologies, such as triplet-supercurrent spin-valves and 'π' Josephson junctions. Here we report the observation of an induced large magnetic moment at high-quality nitride S/F interfaces. Using polarized neutron reflectometry and DC SQUID measurements, we quantitatively determined the magnetization profile of the S/F bilayer and confirmed that the induced magnetic moment in the adjacent superconductor only exists below T C. Interestingly, the direction of the induced moment in the superconductors was unexpectedly parallel to that in the ferromagnet, which contrasts with earlier findings in S/F heterostructures based on metals or oxides. First-principles calculations verified that the unusual interfacial spin texture observed in our study was caused by the Heisenberg direct exchange coupling with constant J∼4.28 meV through d-orbital overlapping and severe charge transfer across the interfaces. Our work establishes an incisive experimental probe for understanding the magnetic proximity behavior at S/F interfaces and provides a prototype epitaxial 'building block' for superconducting spintronics.

Electro-induced carbon black particle electrodes for sustainable tetracycline degradation

For the purpose of degrading tetracycline (TC), a three-dimensional electro-oxidation (3D EO) system using particle electrodes of carbon black (CB) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was developed. The CB-PTFE particles fabricated at a CB/PTFE mass ratio of 3:2 and calcination time of 60 min exhibited the high performance for TC removal, as well as low energy consumption and high mechanical strength. TC removal efficiency reached 95% within 15 minutes, driven by a pseudo-first-order reaction with a rate constant of 0.20 min−1. The process incurred an energy consumption of 20.31 kWh/m3. The surface characterizations indicated that the CB-PTFE particles possessed excellent catalytic properties for H2O2 production. Despite the substantial influence of voltage and particle dosage on performance, the system demonstrated consistently high efficiency in TC removal regardless of solution pH within the range of 3–11. Quenching experiments and probe experiments using benzoate suggested that the surface-bound hydroxyl radicals (•OH (ads)) dominated (64.7%) the oxidation of TC in the 3D CB-PTFE EO system. The •OH (ads) was produced by the reduction of H2O2 on the particle surface. Products examination by LC-MS-MS confirmed a degradation pathway of TC by •OH attacking. These findings indicate that the CB-PTFE EO system has unique advantages and potentials in treating antibiotics due to its high oxidizing capacity, a wide range of applicable pH, no chemical adding, and self-cleaning.

Selective oxidation of ammonia nitrogen to nitrogen gas by Fe2+/PMS/Cl−: The role of reactive chlorine species

Ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) can pose a threat to ecosystems and human health. Many methods have been used for the removal of NH4+-N. In particular, reactive chlorine species (RCS, including Cl·, Cl2·−, and ClO·) show superior performance for the selective oxidation of NH4+-N to nitrogen gas (N2). Herein, Fe2+/peroxymonosulfate (PMS)/Cl− process was proposed to generate RCS for the conversion of NH4+-N to N2, in which Fe2+ was used as the activator of PMS in the presence of Cl−. Fe2+, PMS, and Cl− concentrations could affect the removal of NH4+-N in Fe2+/PMS/Cl− process. Fe2+/PMS/Cl− exhibited good performance in removing NH4+-N at pH 3.5–8.0. At all investigated conditions, NH4+-N was mainly converted to N2, and N2 selectivity was more than 90 %. Under optimal conditions, 50 % of NH4+-N was removed in 5 min, and the removal efficiency reached the maximum of 96 % within 120 min with the high N2 selectivity of 100 %. The electron spin resonance tests, scavenging experiments, and probe experiments demonstrated the generation of RCS in Fe2+/PMS/Cl− reaction system. Experimental results and model analysis consistently proved that ClO· and Cl· were crucial radicals during the selective oxidation of NH4+-N, especially ClO·. Fe2+/PMS/Cl− system could remove NH4+-N and COD simultaneously in real wastewater. This study can provide an efficient strategy for the removal of NH4+-N.

Effectively accelerated degradation of bisphenol A in Fe3O4/PMS system by caffeic acid

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor widely used in industry and the increased incidence of many cancers has been shown to be related to their exposure. Effective removal of BPA is causing concern. In this article, it was found that the introduction of caffeic acid (CFA) might significantly improve BPA degradation in Fe3O4/PMS system. The use of Fe3O4/CFA/PMS system offers a number of advantages compared to previously used homogeneous systems, including a wider pH range for application, ease of production, and minimal biotoxicity. Based on the analysis and discussion of the experimental data, it is clear that BPA can be almost completely degraded within 40 minutes under the most efficient conditions of 0.4 mM PMS, 0.5 g/L Fe3O4, and 0.05 mM CFA. BPA was successfully removed over a broad pH range of 3.0–9.0. Due to the presence of reactants in different states, the inhomogeneous system is less significantly disturbed by H+ and OH- compared to the homogeneous system. The presence of Cl-, HCO3-, NO3- and humic acid influences the removal of BPA. The intermediate product (benzoquinone) of CFA was found to be involved in the reaction and effectively promoted the recycling of Fe(II) and Fe(III). By the formation of CFA-Fe chelates, the reducing and chelating ability of CFA accelerates Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycling and thus promotes the activation of PMS. Ethanol scavenging studies and chemical probe experiments showed that the presence of hydroxyl radicals (HO·), sulphate radicals (SO4．-) and singlet oxygen (1O2) plays a role in the elimination of BPA in Fe3O4/CFA/PMS system. The contribution rate is found to be SO4．->HO·>1O2. The current research provides a low-cost, environmentally friendly method to remove BPA.

Inhibited Inelastic Scattering of Incoherent Excitons for Near-Band Edge Excitations.

A multiple pump-terahertz probe experiment enables the clear distinction between elastic and inelastic scattering of excitons with a free electron-hole plasma in (Ga,In)As multiquantum wells. Low plasma energies dictate the prevalence of elastic scattering by inhibiting inelastic processes due to the absence of final states for quasiparticles. Yet, an increased plasma energy results in a progressive destruction of excitons. Notably, despite plasma energy variations, the interaction strength between excitons and the electron-hole plasma remains unaltered.

In Situ Stereo Digital Image Correlation with Thermal Imaging as a Process Monitoring Method in Vacuum-Assisted Thermoforming

This experimental study probes the dynamic behaviour of a 3 mm ABS sheet during positive mould vacuum-assisted thermoforming. In this process, the sheet undergoes large and fast deformations caused by the applied vacuum and mechanical stretching by the mould. The objective is to elucidate the complexities of these large, rapid, and non-isothermal deformations. The non-isothermal conditions are caused by the radiative heating of the sheet, convective heat loss to the surrounding air, and conductive heat transfer from the sheet to the mould. By utilizing stereo digital image correlation (DIC) in tandem with thermal imaging, the present study accurately maps the occurring displacement, strain, and strain rate field in relation to real-time temperature variation in the material. The study progresses to observe the ABS material from the moment it contacts the mould until it conforms to a positive 250 mm diameter semi-sphere cast aluminum mould. The DIC methods are validated by comparing thickness values derived from DIC’s principal strain directions to ultrasonic thickness gauge readings. This knowledge not only broadens the understanding of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the material but also aids in optimizing process parameters for improved thickness uniformity in thermoformed products.

Tilt-related alignment issues in miniature micromechanical on-wafer electrical probes composed of multiple flexible microcantilevers

Some new issues concerning the contacting and positioning of small electrical microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) probes based on multiple, flexible microcantilevers are presented here. A tilt error, associated with the lateral probe roll, means that contact touchdown occurs sequentially in different cantilevers upon increasing probe overtravel. To understand the relationship between probe overtravel, tip skate, tip planarity, tip tangency, and contact force in the different contacts, the relationship between mechanical bending and torsion of the flexible cantilevers needs to be accounted for. The study reveals the conditions for achieving contact planarity and desired contact force, as well as the identification of a new ‘differential skate error’ contact misalignment associated with such MEMS probes based on multiple, flexible microcantilevers. This misalignment leads to a ‘differential contact force error’ which has implications for electrical contact quality. An experimental scale model probe based on three cantilevers is used to test the modelling—the results agree well with the predictions of the model. Interestingly, the experiments revealed an effect not accounted for in the modelling; this ‘twist error’ resulted in the cantilever lead edge not being parallel to the touchdown plane. The findings may be useful for engineers involved with the automatic control positioning of such emerging miniature probes, especially in terms of the impact of probe positioning errors.

Giant Parametric Amplification of the Inverse Cotton–Mouton Effect in Antiferromagnetic Crystals

The interaction of light with spins in a Heisenberg antiferromagnet with a negligibly low magnetic anisotropy as in RbMnF3 has been theoretically analyzed. In particular, an optical pump–probe experiment, where coherent terahertz magnons are excited by short pump laser pulses in the antiferromagnet and are then detected by a probe pulse delayed with respect to the pump pulse, has been simulated. It has been shown that the giant increase in the intensity of excitation of terahertz magnons under the influence of the inverse Cotton–Mouton effect occurs near parametric resonance, i.e., in the parametric instability region.

Ergodicity Breaking Under Confinement in Cold-Atom Quantum Simulators

The quantum simulation of gauge theories on synthetic quantum matter devices has gained a lot of traction in the last decade, making possible the observation of a range of exotic quantum many-body phenomena. In this work, we consider the spin-1/2 quantum link formulation of 1+1D quantum electrodynamics with a topological &amp;#x03B8;-angle, which can be used to tune a confinement-deconfinement transition. Exactly mapping this system onto a PXP model with mass and staggered magnetization terms, we show an intriguing interplay between confinement and the ergodicity-breaking paradigms of quantum many-body scarring and Hilbert-space fragmentation. We map out the rich dynamical phase diagram of this model, finding an ergodic phase at small values of the mass &amp;#x03BC; and confining potential &amp;#x03C7;, an emergent integrable phase for large &amp;#x03BC;, and a fragmented phase for large values of both parameters. We also show that the latter hosts resonances that lead to a vast array of effective models. We propose experimental probes of our findings, which can be directly accessed in current cold-atom setups.

Effective degradation of norfloxacin by 3D diatomite plate@polydopamine@WC co-catalytic Fenton at near-neutral pH

To further rush the reduction of Fe3+ and realize the simple application of cocatalyst, 3D diatomite plate@polydopamine@WC (DPW) cocatalysts were prepared using a simple two-step impregnation method to construct a DPW/Fenton system for degrading norfloxacin (NOR) at near-neutral pH (5.5). Characterization results from Scanning electron microscope (SEM), automatic mercury porosimeter, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyzer, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that 3D DPW possessed a macroporous structure with W0 and W4+ distributed on its surface and within its pores. Under suitable conditions, the DPW/Fenton could degrade 94.98 % of NOR with a reaction rate constant of 0.2087 min−1, being 2.08 and 1.09 times that of MoS2/Fenton and WS2/Fenton, respectively. The Fe2+ content in DPW/Fenton was 1.13 and 1.05 times that of MoS2/Fenton and WS2/Fenton at 15 min. The exposed W0/W4+ sites on DPW enhanced the Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle and increased the H2O2 decomposition rate to 39.82 %. EPR measurements and probe experiments indicated that NOR degradation occurred mainly through·OH-dominated radical pathway. Notably, DPW/Fenton had strong resistance to inorganic salt ions and humic acid, maintaining high degradation rates (68 %, 75 %, and 78 %) for high-ionization-potential contaminants (IP ≥ 9.1 eV) like benzoic acid, terephthalic acid and p-nitrophenol. Impressively, the activity of DPW could be regenerated by the impregnation procedure. Even after 24 reuses, the degradation efficiency of NOR was still above 80 %, and the dissolved concentration of W was below 0.022 mg/L. Interestingly, after being stored for 5 months, the catalytic activity of DPW remained basically unchanged. This work provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the large-scale preparation and convenient application of DPW, as well as the degradation of toxic organic contaminants.

Observing thermal lensing with quantum light.

The introduction of quantum methods in spectroscopy can provide enhanced performance and technical advantages in the management of noise. We investigate the application of quantum illumination in a pump and probe experiment. Thermal lensing in a suspension of gold nanorods is explored using a classical beam as the pump and the emission from parametric downconversion as the probe. We obtain an insightful description of the behavior of the suspension under pumping with a method known to provide good noise rejection. Our findings are a further step toward investigating the effects of quantum light in complex plasmonic media.

Activation of peroxymonosulfate with natural pyrite-biochar composite for sulfamethoxazole degradation in soil: Organic matter effects and free radical conversion

Peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) represent an effective method for the remediation of antibiotic-contaminated soils. In this study, a natural pyrite-biochar composite material (FBCx) was developed, demonstrating superior activation performance and achieving a 76% removal rate of SMX from soil within 120 min. There existed different degradation mechanisms for SMX in aqueous and soil solutions, respectively. The production of 1O2 and inherent active species produced by soil slurry played an important role in the degradation process. The combination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and free radical probe experiments confirmed the presence of free radical transformation processes in soil. Wherein, the·OH and SO4·− generated in soil slurry did not directly involve in the degradation process, but rather preferentially reacted with soil organic matter (SOM) to form alkyl-like radicals (R·), thereby maintaining a high concentration of reactive species in the system. Furthermore, germination and growth promotion of mung bean seeds observed in the toxicity test indicated the environmental compatibility of this remediation method. This study revealed the influence mechanism of SOM in the remediation process of contaminated soil comprehensively, which possessed enormous potential for application in practical environments.

Application of Fe-ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid complex to enhance the electrocatalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate under neutral pH condition for removal of refractory naphthenic acids

In this work, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) was applied as a chelating agent to stabilize Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle to effectively activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in an electrochemical (EC) co-catalytic system for elimination of naphthenic acids (NAs) under neutral pH condition. 1-Adamantanecarboxylic acid (ACA) was applied as the model compound for NAs that are persistent contaminants in petroleum industrial wastewater. In the PMS/EC/Fe(III)-EDTA system, complete removal of ACA has been achieved in 20-min reaction under neutral pH condition. Degradation mechanisms were investigated via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis, probe experiments and quenching experiments to reveal the reactive species •OH, SO4•− and 1O2 for ACA removal, the production of which have been significantly facilitated by the introduction of EDTA complex. A new pathway has been found for the production of 1O2 via several intermediates including hydrogen peroxide and superoxide radicals. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and mass spectrometry analysis were applied to predict ACA degradation pathways and byproducts. Decarboxylation, hydroxyl substitution and carbonyl substitution byproducts of ACA were detected. The PMS/EC/Fe(III)-EDTA system suffered nonimportant influence at the presence of humic acid, H2PO4-, HCO3–, NO3– and Cl- for ACA removal. Overall results demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of the PMS/EC/Fe(III)-EDTA system for efficient removal of NAs in petroleum wastewater in natural environment under neutral pH condition.

Quantifying free energies through local composition fluctuations in binary solid solutions: A proof-of-concept study using atomistic embedded-atom simulations

While thermodynamic fluctuation theory has been extensively utilized in liquids for decades to obtain direct thermodynamic information, such as Gibbs free energies, from local composition fluctuations, this study presents an extension of the theory for its application in solids. It is demonstrated that composition fluctuations in solids are influenced by an additional elastic work term, which is specific to solids and encompasses liquids as a special case. To verify the extended fluctuation model, atomistic simulations were conducted on an exemplary Cu–Ni embedded-atom system. Monte Carlo simulations were performed in the semi-grandcanonical ensemble at a fixed temperature, covering the entire composition range. Composition fluctuations within a subvolume were monitored over time and statistically analyzed in terms of the variance. The atomistic results exhibit perfect agreement with the predictions derived from the extended model. This methodology has primarily been developed for the analysis of experimental atom probe tomography data, which provides three-dimensional chemical information with sub-nanometer precision. This technique enables the direct measurement of local composition fluctuations, facilitating the extraction of thermodynamic information from any allowed temperature–composition pair in the phase diagram.

Molecular Insights into Chemical Reactions at Aqueous Aerosol Interfaces.

Atmospheric aerosols facilitate reactions between ambient gases and dissolved species. Here, we review our efforts to interrogate the uptake of these gases and the mechanisms of their reactions both theoretically and experimentally. We highlight the fascinating behavior of N2O5 in solutions ranging from pure water to complex mixtures, chosen because its aerosol-mediated reactions significantly impact global ozone, hydroxyl, and methane concentrations. As a hydrophobic, weakly soluble, and highly reactive species, N2O5 is a sensitive probe of the chemical and physical properties of aerosol interfaces. We employ contemporary theory to disentangle the fate of N2O5 as it approaches pure and salty water, starting with adsorption and ending with hydrolysis to HNO3, chlorination to ClNO2, or evaporation. Flow reactor and gas-liquid scattering experiments probe even greater complexity as added ions, organic molecules, and surfactants alter the interfacial composition and reaction rates. Together, we reveal a new perspective on multiphase chemistry in the atmosphere.