Investigation of chemical composition of seeding agent aerosol

Publisher Summary The agents of pyrotechnical rockets, used for cloud seeding, are very complex mixtures of chemical compounds, which undergo the large transformations in the process of burning. Thus, during the combustion, besides AgI particles, many other combustion products are ejected into the cloud medium. Their amount exceeds considerably the amount of AgI. The investigation of the chemical composition of the combustion products, dissoluble in water was made. Mainly, the attention was paid to the complex-forming ions, which are able to increase the solubility of silver iodide. At active seeding, the rockets introduce into the clouds not only the particles of AgI, HCl, and Cl - -ions, being as in gaseous phase as associated with AgI particles, and gaseous NH 3 follow them. The particles of AgI with adsorbed layer of Cl - (HCl) and free HCl are able to condense the water vapor owing to strong hygroscopic properties that effects on the cloud processes. Getting into the small cloud droplets or condensing the vapor, they are able to create the high concentration of Cl - in ambient water coat. Simultaneously, the absorption of gaseous HCl and NH 3 by drops takes place in more degree than lower the temperature. It leads to the concentration increase as well. Possessing the complex properties in relation to Agl, Cl - and NH 3 are able to increase the solubility of AgI. The fact of acidation of water medium and generation of nitrogen oxides was established—that is the side effect of seeding.