[11] Finlayson-Pitts' research focuses on developing a molecular-level understanding of the fundamental kinetics, mechanisms, and photochemistry of gaseous reactions of particles.
[12][9] In addition to her work on the troposphere and stratosphere, she studies interactions at the interface between air and water, where gases meet liquids.
[12] Finlayson-Pitts served as the lead author of a 2009 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that found that burning fossil fuels releases nitrogen oxides, which interact with gaseous hydrogen chloride to form smog-forming compounds.
[13] Finlayson-Pitts and her team examined reactions between nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and dinitrogen pentoxide(N2O5), two common compounds created from fossil fuel combustion prevalent in the atmosphere, and gaseous hydrogen chloride (HCl), which has reached concentrations of a few parts per billion in polluted air.
[13] The team said the creation of the chlorine nitrogen compounds could have negative implications for the reliability and lifetime of electronics that are susceptible to corrosion when the reaction takes place in doors.
[14] Chloride, which is many times more abundant than bromine, reacts with nitrogen and oxygen-containing compounds in both the aqueous and gas phases to form a variety of molecules that scatter light, including HCl, Cl2, ClNO2, ClO, and OClO.
[14] Finlayson-Pitts also helped author a 2012 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which concluded that new models may be needed to address secondary organic aerosols.
[15] Finlayson-Pitts worked with scientists from UCI and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, to research the processes leading to secondary organic aerosol formation.
More specifically, they studied particle formation under the simultaneous oxidation α-pinene by ozone and NO3 radicals using an aerosol flow system.