The Effect of a Weak Magnetic Field (0 T to 0.4 T) on the Valence Band and Intramolecular Hydrogen of Inorganic Aerosol Metal-Nitrogen Gas Chemical Reactions in a Sparking Discharge Process

The effects of a weak magnetic field on chemical reactions are still not well understood. In our research, we used a sparking discharge process to ionize and atomize different metal wires in ambient air under usual atmospheric conditions, with and without the presence of a magnetic field. Products were collected on a glass substrate and additionally characterized for the presence of nitrogen or nitride bonding with XPS. All samples sparked with no magnetic field provided an evidence of nitride formation. Additional characterization and comparison of samples prepared inside and outside a magnetic field was performed using FTIR and collected in deionized (DI) water to investigate the influence on conductivity and pH. When the magnetic field was present during sparking discharge, a higher concentration of nanoparticles was produced.