Quantum chemical calculations on a selection of iodine-containing species (IO, OIO, INO3, (IO)2, I2O3, I2O4 and I2O5) of importance in the atmosphere.

The electronic and geometric structures of the title complexes are studied quantum chemically using ab initio and density functional approaches. Coupled cluster calculations at the scalar relativistic (basis set) level are performed, and the results are corrected for spin-orbit coupling using data from relativistic density functional theory studies. The heats of formation (kJ mol(-1)) at 298 K are found to be: IO3 147.8, INO3 33.1, OIO 110.1, I2O3 64.0, I2O4 111.3, I2O5 33.0, IOIO 141.3, IOOI 179.9 and OI(I)O 157.9. These data are used to draw a number of conclusions regarding three important aspects of iodine chemistry in the marine boundary layer. (i) Although the IO self reaction produces the asymmetric dimer, IOIO, it is unlikely that this species plays a further role in the atmosphere as it is short-lived. (ii) INO3 is sufficiently stable to explain the kinetics of the recombination reaction between IO and NO2, and the reaction between I2 and NO3 to produce I + INO3 is almost certainly the major source of iodine oxides at night. (iii) The higher iodine oxides I2O3 and I2O5 are very stable molecules, by contrast to the OIO dimer, I2O4, which is much less stable but which should still survive long enough in the marine boundary layer to provide a building block for iodine oxide particle formation.