What color is the #"NO"_2(g)# that forms when #"NO"# reacts with ozone in the atmosphere?

1 Answer
Truong-Son N.
Dec 29, 2017

#"NO"_2# gas is brown. The rest of these gases are colorless (including #"H"_2"S"# that might form if #"SO"_2# gets reduced somehow).

https://4.imimg.com/data4/XQ/ES/MY-11768471/

When the colorless flammable gas nitrous oxide (#"NO"#) is formed, say, in an internal combustion engine, it can be released into the atmosphere to react with ozone (#"O"_3#).

At a sufficiently small concentration of ozone and with a sufficiently high amount of sunlight, the reaction proceeds well:

#"NO"(g) + "O"_3(g) stackrel(hnu" ")(->) "NO"_2(g) + "O"_2(g)#

...in which case the reddish-brown gas #"NO"_2(g)# is then formed and released into the atmosphere.

Related questions
Impact of this question
181 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License