Oxides and acids of nitrogen play an important role in regulating atmospheric radical levels, in particular, that of the OH radical the main initiator of the degradation of chemicals in the atmosphere. A comprehensive overview on the methods used to measure nitrogen oxides and acids in the troposphere is given and difficulties and artefacts associated with the use of the techniques for measurements in urban and mega city environments is illustrated. State-of-the-art methods for the measurement of OH and HO₂ radicals are reviewed and recently recognised difficulties, in particular with the measurement of HO₂ radicals, are highlighted.
Other contributions to the book cover our present understanding of the gas, aqueous and particulate/aerosol phase atmospheric degradation chemistry of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under NOx conditions typical of rural, urban and mega city environments. Examples of measurements of NOx and VOCs in the atmospheres of these environments are given, in particular for the megacities Cairo and Beijing, in conjunction with modelling studies which attempt to simulate the field observations using state-of-the art knowledge on the chemistry of the VOCs and radical levels.