Spurious nitrous oxide emissions from acidic nitrite solutions: a cautionary tale on the critical role of experimental apparatus

Nitrite (NO₂⁻) is known to undergo disproportionation into nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) via an abiotic pathway in acidic aqueous solutions. However, whether a direct pathway for its conversion to nitrous oxide (N₂O) exists remains unclear. This study investigated this potential pathway under both ambient air and nitrogen-purged conditions. Initial experiments yielded substantial N2O production, appearing to validate a novel abiotic process in the nitrogen cycle. However, through