Chemical reaction and thermodynamic studies of microparticles using electrodynamic balances

Experimental and theoretical investigations of mass transfer and chemical reactions associated with microparticles and microdroplets are presented. The experimental studies involve single charged particles and pairs of oppositely charged particles levitated in electrodynamic balances, and include multicomponent droplet evaporation, microparticle polymerization, and chemical reactions resulting from the coagulation of two microparticles. Data are obtained from the elastically and inelastically scattered light, which enables the size, refractive index, and chemical composition to be measured. In addition, two theoretical studies are presented. The first involves the reaction between several gases and sulfuric acid aerosols in the stratosphere, and the second is a model of the mass transport between a sequence of drops moving along the axis of a tube and the surrounding gas. Both of these models are relevant to current investigations of chemical reactions and ozone depletion in the atmosphere.