Analytical results from lightning discharge experiments focusing on interactions between nitrogen oxides and pyrite

The dataset includes measurements of dissolved and gaseous nitrogen oxides (nitrite, nitrate, NO(g)) generated by lightning discharge in a glass container partially filled with water, as well as measurements of dissolves sulfate and iron liberated from pyrite that has interacted with the nitrogen oxides. The lightning discharge experiments were carried out with either anoxic gas mixture (5% or 20% CO2 and the rest N2) or modern air. Lightning has long been identified as a source of reactive nitrogen species to Earth's early biosphere. These experiments were therefore conducted in order to test how this reactive nitrogen would interact with minerals at the Earth's surface. The results reveal that lightning-generated nitrogen oxides could have contributed to a small degree to oxidative weathering.