Sulfur Dioxide Oxidation by Zinc and Zinc Oxide Nitrate/Nitrite Complexes in the Gas Phase: An Interplay between Redox‐Active Ligands and Metal

Abstract

Different oxidative pathways of sulfur dioxide promoted by ZnO(NO 3 ) 2 À , Zn(NO 3 ) 2 À and Zn(NO 2 )(NO 3 ) À are revealed by a joint investigation by mass spectrometry and theoretical calculations. The reactions are triggered by [Zn 2 + -O À * ] + or by the low-valence Zn + through oxygen ion transfer or electron transfer to SO 2 , respectively. The NO x À ligands intervene in the oxidation only when sulfur dioxide is converted to SO 3 À or SO 2 À , leading to the formation of zinc sulfate and zinc sulfite coordinated to nitrate or nitrite anions. Kinetic analyses show that the reactions are fast and efficient, and theory discloses the elementary steps, namely oxygen ion transfer, oxygen atom transfer and electron transfer, occurring through similar energy landscapes for the three reactive anions.