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We examined the reactive uptake of dinitrogen pentoxide (N 2 O 5 ) to authentic biomass-burning aerosol (BBA) using a small chamber reservoir in combination with an entrained aerosol flow tube. BBA was generated from four different fuel types and the reactivity of N 2 O 5 was probed from 30 to 70% relative humidity (RH). The N 2 O 5 reactive uptake coefficient, γ (N 2 O 5 ), depended upon RH, fuel type, and to a lesser degree on aerosol chloride mass fractions. The γ (N 2 O 5 ) ranged from 2.0 (±0.4) ×10 −3 on black needlerush derived BBA at 30% RH to 6.0 (±0.6) ×10 −3 on wiregrass derived BBA at 65% RH. Major N 2 O 5 reaction products were observed including gaseous ClNO 2 and HNO 3 and particulate nitrate, and used to create a reactive nitrogen budget. Black needlerush BBA had the most particulate chloride, and the only measured ClNO 2 yield > 1%. The ClNO 2 yield on black needlerush decayed from an initial value of ∼100% to ∼30% over the course of the burn experiment, suggesting a depletion of BBA chloride over time. Black needlerush was also the only fuel for which the reactive nitrogen budget indicated other N-containing products were generated. Generally, the results suggest limited chloride availability for heterogeneous reaction for BBA in the RH range probed here, including BBA with chloride mass fractions on the higher end of previously reported values (∼17–34%). Though less than fresh sea spray aerosol, ∼50%. We use these measured quantities to discuss the implications for nocturnal aerosol nitrate formation, the chemical fate of N 2 O 5 (g), and the availability of particulate chloride for activation in biomass burning plumes.
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Observational Constraints on the Formation of Cl 2 From the Reactive Uptake of ClNO 2 on Aerosols in the Polluted Marine Boundary Layer
Abstract We use observations from the 2015 Wintertime Investigation of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity (WINTER) aircraft campaign to constrain the proposed mechanism of Cl2production from ClNO2reaction in acidic particles. To reproduce Cl2concentrations observed during WINTER with a chemical box model that includes ClNO2reactive uptake to form Cl2, the model required the ClNO2reaction probability, γ (ClNO2), to range from 6 × 10−6to 7 × 10−5, with a mean value of 2.3 × 10−5(±1.8 × 10−5). These field‐determined γ (ClNO2) are more than an order of magnitude lower than those determined in previous laboratory experiments on acidic surfaces, even when calculated particle pH is ≤2. We hypothesize this is because thick salt films in the laboratory enhanced the reactive uptake ClNO2compared to that which would occur in submicron aerosol particles. Using the reacto‐diffusive length‐scale framework, we show that the field and laboratory observations can be reconciled if the net aqueous‐phase reaction rate constant for ClNO2(aq) + Cl‐(aq) in acidic particles is on the order of 104s−1. We show that wet particle diameter and particulate chloride mass together explain 90% of the observed variance in the box model‐derived γ (ClNO2), implying that the availability of chloride and particle volume limit the efficiency of the reaction. Despite a much lower conversion of ClNO2into Cl2, this mechanism can still be responsible for the nocturnal formation of 10–20 pptv of Cl2in polluted regions, yielding an atmospherically relevant concentration of Cl atoms the following morning.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1822664
- PAR ID:
- 10453665
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
- Volume:
- 124
- Issue:
- 15
- ISSN:
- 2169-897X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 8851-8869
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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