Why is hydroxyl vital to the health of earths atmosphere?
There is currently some disagreement among scientists regarding possible long-term changes in the hydroxyl level of earth’s atmosphere. However, there is no disagreement whatsoever regarding the crucial role that hydroxyl plays in keeping earth’s atmosphere healthy. Says Ronald Prinn, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “This one molecule is very, very important. It is the critical cleaning chemical for the atmosphere.” Ken Minschwaner of New Mexico Tech concurs. “OH [hydroxyl] reacts with just about everything,” he says, and thus hydroxyl is “important for cleansing the atmosphere of pollutants.” And M. A. K. Khalil, Department of Physics, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, describes hydroxyl molecules as “the chemical scavengers of the atmosphere.” So hydroxyl molecules appear to play the key role in cleansing earth’s atmosphere of harmful pollutants and organic compounds. But how does the mechanism of atmospheric cleaning work in practical terms? According to the
