Some aspects of atmospheric chemical reactions of atomic oxygen1

Some features of atmospheric atomic oxygen chemistry that have received little attention, that need to be re-evaluated in the light of recent data, that have been studied in the author's laboratory, or that encompass some combination of these three are discussed.

Newly-calculated values for the concentrations of excited atomic oxygen below 100 km are so low that it is unlikely that its reactions contribute appreciably to the concentration of any atmospheric component in that region with the possible exception of excited molecular oxygen. Reactions of ground state atomic oxygen may constitute a sink for methane and a source of sulfate in this atmospheric region. Many chemionization reactions probably occur in the atmosphere, and three possible types are considered in detail.