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1. Secondary organic aerosol formation from the β-pinene+NO₃ system: effect of humidity and peroxy radical fate

   https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-7497-2015  

   Boyd, C. M. ; Sanchez, J. ; Xu, L. ; Eugene, A. J. ; Nah, T. ; Tuet, W. Y. ; Guzman, M. I. ; Ng, N. L. ( January 2015 , Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics)

   Abstract. The formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from the oxidation of β-pinene via nitrate radicals is investigated in the Georgia Tech Environmental Chamber (GTEC) facility. Aerosol yields are determined for experiments performed under both dry (relative humidity (RH) < 2 %) and humid (RH = 50 % and RH = 70 %) conditions. To probe the effects of peroxy radical (RO₂) fate on aerosol formation, "RO₂ + NO₃ dominant" and "RO₂ + HO₂ dominant" experiments are performed. Gas-phase organic nitrate species (with molecular weights of 215, 229, 231, and 245 amu, which likely correspond to molecular formulas of C₁₀H₁₇NO₄, C₁₀H₁₅NO₅, C₁₀H₁₇NO₅, and C₁₀H₁₅NO₆, respectively) are detected by chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) and their formation mechanisms are proposed. The NO⁺ (at m/z 30) and NO₂⁺ (at m/z 46) ions contribute about 11 % to the combined organics and nitrate signals in the typical aerosol mass spectrum, with the NO⁺ : NO₂⁺ ratio ranging from 4.8 to 10.2 in all experiments conducted. The SOA yields in the "RO₂ + NO₃ dominant" and "RO₂ + HO₂ dominant" experiments are comparable. For a wide range of organic mass loadings (5.1–216.1 μg m^&minus;3), the aerosol mass yield is calculated to be 27.0–104.1 %.more »Although humidity does not appear to affect SOA yields, there is evidence of particle-phase hydrolysis of organic nitrates, which are estimated to compose 45–74 % of the organic aerosol. The extent of organic nitrate hydrolysis is significantly lower than that observed in previous studies on photooxidation of volatile organic compounds in the presence of NO_x. It is estimated that about 90 and 10 % of the organic nitrates formed from the β-pinene+NO₃ reaction are primary organic nitrates and tertiary organic nitrates, respectively. While the primary organic nitrates do not appear to hydrolyze, the tertiary organic nitrates undergo hydrolysis with a lifetime of 3–4.5 h. Results from this laboratory chamber study provide the fundamental data to evaluate the contributions of monoterpene + NO₃ reaction to ambient organic aerosol measured in the southeastern United States, including the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) and the Southeastern Center for Air Pollution and Epidemiology (SCAPE) study.

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2. Rapid Formation of Sulfate Aerosols through Aqueous Aerosol Oxidation by Isoprene Hydroxy Hydroperoxides (ISOPOOH)

   YUE ZHANG, Jin Yan ( January 2020 , 38th Annual Meeting American Association for Aerosol Research)

   Abstract Number: 530 Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry Abstract Isoprene is the most abundant non-methane volatile organic compound (VOC) emitted globally. Isomeric isoprene hydroxy hydroperoxides (ISOPOOH), key photooxidation products of isoprene, likely comprise the second most abundant class of peroxides in the atmosphere, following hydrogen peroxide. Studies have shown that hydrogen peroxide plays important roles in the formation of inorganic sulfates in cloud water mimics. However, the potential for ISOPOOH to play a role in sulfate formation in wet aerosol oxidation from reduced sulfur species (such as inorganic sulfite) is not well understood. This study systematically investigates the reaction kinetics and products of ISOPOOH reacting with particle phase inorganic sulfite and discusses implications to the sulfate aerosol budget. In order to examine the reaction kinetics of ISOPOOH with aqueous sulfite, ammonium bisulfite particles were injected into the UNC indoor environmental chamber under dark conditions with 70% RH. After the inorganic sulfite concentrations stabilized, selected concentrations of gas-phase 1,2-ISOPOOH was injected into the chamber to initiate the multiphase reaction. The gas-phase ISOPOOH and particle-phase species were sampled with online instruments, including a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS), an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM), and a particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS), and also collected bymore »Teflon filters for offline molecular-level analyses by an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to an electrospray ionization high resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-HR-QTOFMS). Results show that a significant amount of inorganic sulfite was converted to inorganic sulfate and organosulfates in the particle phase at relatively fast reaction rates, altering the chemical and physical properties of the particles including phase state, pH, reactivity, and composition. Given the high abundance and water solubility of ISOPOOH in the ambient environment, the multiphase reactions examined in our study indicate significant impacts of ISOPOOH on the atmospheric lifecycle of sulfur and the physicochemical properties of ambient particles. Access: https://aaarabstracts.com/2020/viewabstract.php?pid=530« less
3. Modeling Diurnal Variation of Biogenic SOA Formation via Multiphase Reaction of Biogenic Hydrocarbons

   https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-327  

   Han, S. ; Jang, M. ( January 2022 , Atmospheric chemistry and physics discussion)

   The daytime oxidation of biogenic hydrocarbons is attributed to both OH radicals and O3, while nighttime chemistry is dominated by the reaction with O3 and NO3 radicals. Here, the diurnal pattern of Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) originating from biogenic hydrocarbons was intensively evaluated under varying environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, sunlight intensity, NOx levels, and seed conditions) by using the UNIfied Partitioning Aerosol phase Reaction (UNIPAR) model, which comprises multiphase gas-particle partitioning and in-particle chemistry. The oxidized products of three different hydrocarbons (isoprene, α-pinene, and β-caryophyllene) were predicted by using near explicit gas mechanisms for four different oxidation paths (OH, O3, NO3, and O(3P)) during day and night. The gas mechanisms implemented the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM v3.3.1), the reactions that formed low volatility products via peroxy radical (RO2) autoxidation, and self- and cross-reactions of nitrate-origin RO2. In the model, oxygenated products were then classified into volatility-reactivity base lumping species, which were dynamically constructed under varying NOx levels and aging scales. To increase feasibility, the UNIPAR model that equipped mathematical equations for stoichiometric coefficients and physicochemical parameters of lumping species was integrated with the SAPRC gas mechanism. The predictability of the UNIPAR model was demonstrated by simulating chamber-generated SOA data undermore »varying environments day and night. Overall, the SOA simulation decoupled to each oxidation path indicated that the nighttime isoprene SOA formation was dominated by the NO3-driven oxidation, regardless of NOx levels. However, the oxidation path to produce the nighttime α-pinene SOA gradually transited from the NO3-initiated reaction to ozonolysis as NOx levels decreased. For daytime SOA formation, both isoprene and α-pinene were dominated by the OH-radical initiated oxidation. The contribution of the O(3P) path to all biogenic SOA formation was negligible in daytime. Sunlight during daytime promotes the decomposition of oxidized products via photolysis and thus, reduces SOA yields. Nighttime α-pinene SOA yields were significantly higher than daytime SOA yields, although the nighttime α-pinene SOA yields gradually decreased with decreasing NOx levels. For isoprene, nighttime chemistry yielded higher SOA mass than daytime at the higher NOx level (isoprene/NOx > 5 ppbC/ppb). The daytime isoprene oxidation at the low NOx level formed epoxy-diols that significantly contributed SOA formation via heterogeneous chemistry. For isoprene and α-pinene, daytime SOA yields gradually increased with decreasing NOx levels. The daytime SOA produced more highly oxidized multifunctional products and thus, it was generally more sensitive to the aqueous reactions than the nighttime SOA. β-Caryophyllene, which rapidly oxidized and produced SOA with high yields, showed a relatively small variation in SOA yields from changes in environmental conditions (i.e., NOx levels, seed conditions, and diurnal pattern), and its SOA formation was mainly attributed to ozonolysis day and night. To mimic the nighttime α-pinene SOA formation under the polluted urban atmosphere, α-pinene SOA formation was simulated in the presence of gasoline fuel. The simulation suggested the growth of α-pinene SOA in the presence of gasoline fuel gas by the enhancement of the ozonolysis path under the excess amount of ozone, which is typical in urban air. We concluded that the oxidation of the biogenic hydrocarbon with O3 or NO3 radicals is a source to produce a sizable amount of nocturnal SOA, despite of the low emission at night.« less
4. Aqueous-phase mechanism for secondary organic aerosol formation from isoprene: application to the southeast United States and co-benefit of SO₂ emission controls

   https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1603-2016  

   Marais, E. A. ; Jacob, D. J. ; Jimenez, J. L. ; Campuzano-Jost, P. ; Day, D. A. ; Hu, W. ; Krechmer, J. ; Zhu, L. ; Kim, P. S. ; Miller, C. C. ; et al ( January 2016 , Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics)

   Isoprene emitted by vegetation is an important precursor of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), but the mechanism and yields are uncertain. Aerosol is prevailingly aqueous under the humid conditions typical of isoprene-emitting regions. Here we develop an aqueous-phase mechanism for isoprene SOA formation coupled to a detailed gas-phase isoprene oxidation scheme. The mechanism is based on aerosol reactive uptake coefficients (γ) for water-soluble isoprene oxidation products, including sensitivity to aerosol acidity and nucleophile concentrations. We apply this mechanism to simulation of aircraft (SEAC⁴RS) and ground-based (SOAS) observations over the southeast US in summer 2013 using the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x  ≡  NO + NO₂) over the southeast US are such that the peroxy radicals produced from isoprene oxidation (ISOPO₂) react significantly with both NO (high-NO_x pathway) and HO₂ (low-NO_x pathway), leading to different suites of isoprene SOA precursors. We find a mean SOA mass yield of 3.3 % from isoprene oxidation, consistent with the observed relationship of total fine organic aerosol (OA) and formaldehyde (a product of isoprene oxidation). Isoprene SOA production is mainly contributed by two immediate gas-phase precursors, isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX, 58 % of isoprene SOA) from the low-NO_x pathway and glyoxal (28 %) from both low- and high-NO_x pathways. Thismore »speciation is consistent with observations of IEPOX SOA from SOAS and SEAC⁴RS. Observations show a strong relationship between IEPOX SOA and sulfate aerosol that we explain as due to the effect of sulfate on aerosol acidity and volume. Isoprene SOA concentrations increase as NO_x emissions decrease (favoring the low-NO_x pathway for isoprene oxidation), but decrease more strongly as SO₂ emissions decrease (due to the effect of sulfate on aerosol acidity and volume). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) projects 2013–2025 decreases in anthropogenic emissions of 34 % for NO_x (leading to a 7 % increase in isoprene SOA) and 48 % for SO₂ (35 % decrease in isoprene SOA). Reducing SO₂ emissions decreases sulfate and isoprene SOA by a similar magnitude, representing a factor of 2 co-benefit for PM_2.5 from SO₂ emission controls.« less
5. Effects of Precursor Structure on First-Generation Photo-Oxidation Organic Aerosol Formation

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.892389  

   Sofio, D. ; Long, D. ; Kohls, T. ; Kunz, J. ; Wentzel, M. ; Hanson, D. ( June 2022 , Frontiers in Environmental Science)

   The effect of precursor molecular structural features on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) growth was investigated for a number of precursor functional groups. SOA yields were determined for straight chain alkanes, some oxygenated, up to highly functionalized hydrocarbons, the largest being β-caryophyllene. Organic SOA yield was determined by comparing to standard particle size changes with SO 2 in a photolytic flow reactor. SOA formation was initiated with OH radicals from HONO photolysis and continued with NO and NO 2 present at single-digit nmol/mol levels. Seed particles of ∼10 nm diameter grew by condensation of SOA material and growth was monitored with a nanoparticle sizing system. Cyclic compounds dominate as the highest SOA yielding structural feature, followed by C-10 species with double bonds, with linear alkanes and isoprene most ineffective. Carbonyls led to significant increases in growth compared to the alkanes while alcohols, triple-bond compounds, aromatics, and epoxides were only slightly more effective than alkanes at producing SOA. When more than one double bond is present, or a double bond is present with another functional group as seen with 1, 2-epoxydec-9-ene, SOA yield is notably increased. Placement of the double bond is important as well with β-pinene having an SOA yield approximately 5more »times that of α-pinene. In our photolytic flow reactor, first-generation oxidation products are presumed to be the primary species contributing to SOA thus the molecular structure of the precursor is determinant. We also conducted proton-transfer mass spectrometry measurements of α-pinene photooxidation and significant signals were observed at masses for multifunctional nitrates and possibly peroxy radicals. The mass spectrometer measurements were also used to estimate a HONO photolysis rate.« less