The degradation of particulate polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) on atmospheric soot particles in the presence of gas phase dinitrogen pentoxide (N 2O 5) was explored. Dilute diesel and wood soot particles containing PAH were reacted with∼10ppm of N 2O 5 in a 200 ℓ continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). To provide a stable source of particles for reaction in the CSTR, diesel or wood soot particles were injected at night into a 25 m 3 Teflon outdoor chamber. The large chamber served as a reservoir for the feed aerosol, and the aerosol could then be introduced at a constant flow rate into the CSTR. PAH-N 2O 5 heterogeneous rate constants for wood soot at 15°C ranged from2 × 10 −18to5 × 10 −18 cm 3 molecules −1 s −1. For diesel soot the rate constants at 16°C were higher and ranged from5 × 10 −18to30 × 10 −18 cm 3 molecules −1 s −1. Comparisons with other studies suggest that sunlight is the most important factor which influences PAH decay. This is followed by ozone, NO 2, N 2O 5 and nitric acid. The rate constants of nitro-PAH formation from a parent PAH and N 2O 5 were of the order of1 × 10 −19−1 × 10 −18 molecules −1s −1. The uncertainty associated with all of these rate constants is± a factor of 3. Given, however, the small magnitude of the rate constants and the low levels of N 2O 5 present in the atmosphere, we concluded that PAH heterogeneous reactions with gas phase N 2O 5 degrade particle-bound PAH or to form nitro-PAH from PAH are not very important. (Direct application of the specific rate constants derived in this study to ambient atmospheres should not be undertaken unless the ambient particle size distributions and chemical composition of the particles are similar to the ones reported in this study.)