stormenes

Stormenes are a proposed family of unsaturated hydrocarbons that researchers hypothesize form in thunderstorm environments through high-energy electrical discharges and subsequent radical chemistry. The term was coined to describe transient, highly reactive species that may link smaller atmospheric hydrocarbons to larger aerosol precursors.

In laboratory discharge experiments, carbon-containing gases such as methane, ethane, and acetylene subjected to intense voltage generate a cascade of radicals that recombine into a variety of conjugated and cyclic structures. Model ideas suggest stormenes often have carbon numbers in the range of four to twelve and exhibit multiple double bonds, sometimes with ring closures. Their precise structures are thought to be diverse, including linear polyenes and closed-ring isomers, complicating direct identification.

Properties of stormenes are largely inferred from their proposed chemistry. They are expected to be short-lived, persisting from milliseconds to seconds in the gas phase under typical atmospheric conditions, because they readily react with oxygen, nitrogen oxides, and water vapor. Spectroscopic signatures are predicted in the infrared and ultraviolet–visible regions, but direct atmospheric detection remains challenging. Laboratory methods, such as controlled electric discharge experiments and advanced mass spectrometry, provide the strongest evidence for their existence.

Significance in atmospheric science is experimental and theoretical. If present, stormenes could act as intermediates in the formation of larger organic aerosols or secondary pollutants, influencing air quality and climate models. The concept remains debated, with ongoing work aiming to confirm their real-world abundance and quantify their role in atmospheric chemistry.