This report is the first observation of natural chemical denitrification in the drying process of dew. Nitrogen compounds released in the atmosphere are considered to be subjected to oxidation to form nitric acid by the chemical process so far. The results here show that nitrous acid is reduced to N 2 by drying of dew. Dew was collected at Osaka Prefecture University in Sakai City, Japan from 1996 to 1997. Concentrations of ammonium and nitrite ions in dew were very high related to those in rain, and pHs of dew were relatively high, pH ca. 6.5. We found that when dew was dried, most nitrite and ammonium ions included in dew were decomposed. It is wellknown that concentrated ammonium nitrite aqueous solution is unstable and decomposes to N 2 and H 2 O. During the drying process of dew, nitrite and ammonium would be concentrated and react to form N 2 , and as a result, nitrite and ammonia in the dried dew are lost, that is, natural denitrification occurs in the drying process of dew. We report here results of the natural denitrification.
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