Peroxynitrate formation during the night-time oxidation of dimethylsulfide: its role as a reservoir species for aerosol formation

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and nitrate radical reactions were studied in the dark. Methane sulfonic acid and sulfuric acid formation occurred via a gaseous, stable PAN-like peroxynitrateintermediate. A gas chemistry-aerosol dynamics scheme was fitted to the research results, resulting in a consistent description of sulfur-containing product partitioning over the aerosol and gas phases. The model adequately reproduces the observed strong nitric oxide dependence of the peroxynitrate intermediate conversion rate by gas phase chemistry.