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Trees May Harm Environment


Researchers at Texas A&M University have found that oak trees can give off harmful pollutants and may contribute to greenhouse effects using mass spectrometry.

Professor Renyi Zhang, an atmospheric chemist, in the College of Geosciences is studying one such substance, isoprene, given off by oak trees that may lead to increased ozone in our atmosphere.

Some species of trees do appear to produce pollutants that hamper their own growth while contributing to global climate changes and causing harm to other life forms, contends Zhang and Chemistry Professor Simon North.

"Air pollution is probably one of the most serious problems facing humankind in the 21st century," says Zhang, "and certainly, much of that pollution results from human activities. But most people are not aware of the role played by chemical reactions which change substances produced by biogenic species into harmful airborne pollutants.

Isoprene - C5H8 - is described as one of these pollutants and is released by the respiration of oak trees. It is the second-most abundant naturally produced hydrocarbon (after methane) in the atmosphere. Isoprene facilitates ozone production by a complex process, so increased isoprene contributes to heating of the air near the planet's surface, the so-called "Greenhouse Effect.

Zhang's laboratory uses chemical ionization mass spectrometry to study isoprene using chemical ionization mass spectrometry. "The isoprene chain reaction is very complicated - in fact, it's been studied for over 30 years without significant results with regard to fundamental details." His lab are seeking to discover the direction in which reaction pathways proceed. "If we can fully understand the critical steps in the reaction, maybe we can determine where best to intervene in the process to keep both our oak trees and ourselves healthier."

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