A large confined volume in which sunlight or simulated sunlight is allowed to irradiate air mixtures of atmospheric trace gases (@H02889@, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, etc.) which undergo @O04362@. In theory these chambers allow the controlled study of complex reactions which occur in the atmosphere. However, ill-defined wall reactions which generate some molecular and radical species (e.g. HONO, CH₂O, HO-radicals, etc.) and remove certain products (H₂O₂, HNO₃, etc.), the use of reactant concentrations well above those in the atmosphere, ill-defined light intensities and @W06659@ distribution within the chamber, and other factors peculiar to chamber experiments require that caution be exercised in the extrapolation of results obtained from them to atmospheric systems.