sulphur dioxide

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sulphur dioxide(SO2) The gaseous product of the oxidation of sulphur, which is released into the atmosphere when fuels containing sulphur compounds are burned. In the atmosphere, a series of reactions oxidize SO2 to particles of sulphate (SO4). Sulphate is also produced in the atmosphere from dimethyl sulphide (DMS, (CH3)2S), released by some species of phytoplankton (especially coccolithophorids). Sulphate crystals act as condensation nuclei, but lower the pH of the water into which they dissolve and SO2 is implicated in acid precipitation.

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