Science Daily report says extreme UV laser shows generate atmospheric pollutant

Hokkaido University scientists show that under laboratory conditions, ultraviolet light reacts with nitrophenol to produce smog-generating nitrous acid, according to a recent Science Daily report. An advanced laser technique has allowed researchers to observe, in real-time, the decomposition of a pollutant into atmospheric nitrous acid, which plays a key role in the formation of ozone and photochemical smog. The technique, described by Hokkaido University researchers in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, could be used in a wide range of applications. Nitrophenols are a type of fine particulate matter found in the atmosphere that form as a result of fossil…