Atmospheric Chemistry of Organic Nitrogen Compounds

The atmospheric chemistry of organic nitrogen encompasses a diverse suite of compounds—from simple amines and amides to more complex molecules such as amino acids and urea—that participate in a network of reactions affecting air quality, climate and nutrient cycling. Emitted from both natural (marine biota, soils, biomass burning) and anthropogenic (agriculture, industry) sources, these species undergo oxidation by hydroxyl radicals, ozone and nitrate radicals, leading to gas-phase transformation and partitioning into particles. In the particle phase they form secondary organic aerosol, influence cloud condensation nuclei activity and deposit nutrients to terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Improvements in high-resolution mass spectrometry have revealed episodic plumes of amines and urea aloft, while chamber and field experiments have elucidated pathways for aerosol growth via aminium-salt formation. A better quantitative understanding of sources, sinks and reaction mechanisms is essential to constrain models of nutrient redistribution, aerosol radiative effects and human exposure to nitrogenous compounds.

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Atmospheric Chemistry of Organic Nitrogen Compounds publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in atmospheric chemistry of organic nitrogen compounds across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Organic nitrogen: Nitrogen-containing organic molecules in the atmosphere, including amines, amides, amino acids and urea.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA): Particulate matter formed by atmospheric chemical reactions of volatile organic compounds.

Chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (CIMS): An analytical technique that uses reagent ions to detect trace gases with high sensitivity and resolution.

Biomass burning: Combustion of organic material (eg vegetation, agricultural residues) that emits trace gases and particles.

Troposphere: The lowest layer of the atmosphere where most weather phenomena and chemical processes occur.

References

1. Airborne observations over the North Atlantic Ocean reveal the importance of gas-phase urea in the atmosphere. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2023).
2. New measurements reveal a large contribution of nitrogenous molecules to ambient organic aerosol. npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (2024).
3. Detection of atmospheric gaseous amines and amides by a high-resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer with protonated ethanol reagent ions. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2016).