Atmospheric chemistry lab work

Please follow this link for the course information retrieved from the ETH semester programme.

The first meeting will be on the 4.March 2009, 14:00, room CHN L17.1

Assistants: Gabriela Ciobanu and Pia Soonsin
Leader: Beni Zobrist

The practical course is divided into three parts:

1. Self-dependent reading of recommended literature (2 days).
2. Laboratory work on ice nucleation using a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (CHN D59, 2 days).  The work will be performed in groups of 2-3 students. The dates will be scheduled on the first meeting. The literature reading has to be done before the laboratory work can be started.
   
3. All groups together write one report, which includes the results of all individual groups. The results will further be presented in a short talk (15-20 min). The date for the talk will be scheduled on the first meeting. The report has to be handed in on the same day as the talk is given.

Recommended literature:

• B. Zobrist, C. Marcolli, T. Koop, B. P. Luo, D. M. Murphy, U. Lohmann, A. A. Zardini, U. K. Krieger, T. Corti, D. J. Cziczo, S. Fueglistaler, P. K. Hudson, D. S. Thomson, and T. Peter; Oxalic acid as a heterogeneous ice nucleus in the upper troposphere and its indirect aerosol effect, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3115–3129, 2006. pdf of the article

• B. Zobrist; Untersuchungen zum Gefrierverhalten von wässrigen Polyethylenglykol-Lösungen mit einem selbstentwickelten Kalorimeter; Diplomarbeit, ETH Zürich, 2001. Pages 5-7 and 9-11, pdf of the article

• Koop, T.; Luo, B.P.; Tsias, A. and T. Peter; Water activity as the determinant for homogeneous ice nucleation in aqueous solutions, Nature, 406, 611-614, 2000. article online

• Murphy, D.M and T. Koop, T; Review of the vapour pressures of ice and supercooled water for atmospheric applications, Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 131, 1539-1565, 2005. Equations 7 and 10 to parameterize the vapor pressures of water and ice. article online