The NOx waste stream from automobile exhaust includes species such as NO and NO2. Catalysts that convert these species to N2 are desirable to reduce air pollution.
(a) Draw the Lewis dot and VSEPR structures of NO, NO2, and N2.
(b) Using a resource such as Table 8.4, look up the energies of the bonds in these molecules. In what region of the electromagnetic spectrum are these energies?
(c) Design a spectroscopic experiment to monitor the conversion of NOx into N2, describing what wavelengths of light need to be monitored as a function of time?