An official website of the United States government
Abstract. Volatility and viscosity are important properties of organic aerosols (OA),affecting aerosol processes such as formation, evolution, and partitioning ofOA. Volatility distributions of ambient OA particles have often beenmeasured, while viscosity measurements are scarce. We have previouslydeveloped a method to estimate the glass transition temperature (Tg) ofan organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Based onanalysis of over 2400 organic compounds including oxygenated organiccompounds, as well as nitrogen- and sulfur-containing organic compounds, weextend this method to include nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compoundsbased on elemental composition. In addition, parameterizations are developedto predict Tg as a function of volatility and the atomicoxygen-to-carbon ratio based on a negative correlation between Tg andvolatility. This prediction method of Tg is applied to ambientobservations of volatility distributions at 11 field sites. Thepredicted Tg values of OA under dry conditions vary mainly from 290 to 339 Kand the predicted viscosities are consistent with the results of ambientparticle-phase-state measurements in the southeastern US and the Amazonianrain forest. Reducing the uncertainties in measured volatility distributionswould improve predictions of viscosity, especially at low relative humidity.We also predict the Tg of OA components identified via positive matrixfactorization of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) data. The predicted viscosity ofoxidized OA is consistent with previously reported viscosity of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) derivedfrom α-pinene, toluene, isoprene epoxydiol (IEPOX), and diesel fuel.Comparison of the predicted viscosity based on the observed volatilitydistributions with the viscosity simulated by a chemical transport modelimplies that missing low volatility compounds in a global model can lead tounderestimation of OA viscosity at some sites. The relation betweenvolatility and viscosity can be applied in the molecular corridor orvolatility basis set approaches to improve OA simulations in chemicaltransport models by consideration of effects of particle viscosity in OAformation and evolution.
more »
« less
Quantitative Characterization of the Volatility Distribution of Organic Aerosols in a Polluted Urban Area: Intercomparison Between Thermodenuder and Molecular Measurements
Abstract To quantify the volatility of organic aerosols (OA), a comprehensive campaign was conducted in the Chinese megacity. Volatility distributions of OA and particle‐phase organic nitrate (pON) were estimated based on five methods: (a) empirical method and (b) kinetic model based on the measurement of a thermodenuder (TD) coupled with an aerosol mass spectrometer; (c) Formula‐based SIMPOL model‐driven method; (d) Element‐based estimations using molecular formula measurements of OA; and (e) gas/particle partitioning. Our results demonstrate that the ambient OA volatility distribution shows good agreement between the two heating methods and the formula‐based method when assuming ambient OA was mainly composed of organic nitrate (pON), organic sulfate and acid groups using the SIMPOL model. However, the element‐based method tends to overestimate the volatility of OA compared to the above three methods, suggesting large uncertainties in the parameterizations or in the representativeness of the molecular measurements that need further refinement. The volatility of ambient OA is generally lower than that of the laboratory‐derived secondary OA, emphasizing the impact of aging. A large fraction at the higher and lower volatility ranges (approximately logC* ≤ −9 and ≥2 μg m−3) was found for pON, implying the importance of both extremely low volatile and semi‐volatile species. Overall, this study evaluates different methods for volatility estimation and gives new insight into the volatility of OA and pON in urban areas.
more »
« less
- PAR ID:
- 10493686
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
- Volume:
- 129
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2169-897X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract This study investigates the new particle formation (NPF) events at an urban location in the Eastern Mediterranean. Particle size distribution, particulate chemical composition, and gaseous pollutants were monitored in Rehovot, Israel (31°53″N 34°48″E) during two campaigns: from April 29 to 3 May 2021 (Campaign 1) and from May 3 to 11 May 2023 (Campaign 2), coinciding with an intensive bonfire burning festival. The organic aerosols (OA) source apportionment identified two major factors—Hydrocarbon‐like OA and Biomass‐burning OA—as well as two secondary factors—MO‐OOA (more oxidized‐oxygenated OA) and LO‐OOA (low oxidized oxygenated OA). NPF events were frequently observed during the day (mostly well‐defined nucleation events) and at night (burst of ultrafine mode particles without any discernible growth). A condensation sink value of (9.4 ± 4.0) × 10−3 s−1during Campaign 1 and (14.2 ± 6.0) × 10−3 s−1during Campaign 2 was obtained. The daytime events were associated with enhanced sulfuric acid proxy concentrations of (2–12) × 106molecules cm−3, suggesting the role of gas‐phase photochemistry in promoting NPF. A novel approach of hybrid positive matrix factorization analysis was used to deconvolve the chemical species responsible for the observed events. The results suggest the involvement of multiple components, including ammonium sulfate and MO‐OOA, in the nucleation; Nitrate, HOA and LO‐OOA participate in the subsequent particle growth for the daytime events. Nighttime events involve only semi‐volatile species (LO‐OOA, HOA and nitrate) along with ammonium sulfate.more » « less
-
null (Ed.)Abstract. The molecular composition and volatility of gaseous organiccompounds were investigated during April–July 2019 at the Station forMeasuring Ecosystem – Atmosphere Relations (SMEAR) II situated in a borealforest in Hyytiälä, southern Finland. In order to obtain a morecomplete picture and full understanding of the molecular composition andvolatility of ambient gaseous organic compounds (from volatile organiccompounds, VOCs, to highly oxygenated organic molecules, HOMs), twodifferent instruments were used. A Vocus proton-transfer-reactiontime-of-flight mass spectrometer (Vocus PTR-ToF; hereafter Vocus) wasdeployed to measure VOCs and less oxygenated VOCs (i.e., OVOCs). Inaddition, a multi-scheme chemical ionization inlet coupled to an atmosphericpressure interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MION API-ToF) was usedto detect less oxygenated VOCs (using Br− as the reagent ion; hereafterMION-Br) and more oxygenated VOCs (including HOMs; using NO3- asthe reagent ion; hereafter MION-NO3). The comparison among differentmeasurement techniques revealed that the highest elemental oxygen-to-carbonratios (O : C) of organic compounds were observed by the MION-NO3 (0.9 ± 0.1, average ± 1 standard deviation), followed by the MION-Br(0.8 ± 0.1); lowest O : C ratios were observed by Vocus (0.2 ± 0.1). Diurnal patternsof the measured organic compounds were found to vary among differentmeasurement techniques, even for compounds with the same molecular formula,suggesting contributions of different isomers detected by the differenttechniques and/or fragmentation from different parent compounds inside theinstruments. Based on the complementary molecular information obtained fromVocus, MION-Br, and MION-NO3, a more complete picture of the bulkvolatility of all measured organic compounds in this boreal forest wasobtained. As expected, the VOC class was the most abundant (about 53.2 %), followed by intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs, about45.9 %). Although condensable organic compounds (low-volatility organiccompounds, LVOCs; extremely low volatility organic compounds, ELVOCs; andultralow-volatility organic compounds, ULVOCs) only comprised about 0.2 %of the total gaseous organic compounds, they play an important role in newparticle formation as shown in previous studies in this boreal forest. Ourstudy shows the full characterization of the gaseous organic compounds inthe boreal forest and the advantages of combining Vocus and MION API-ToF formeasuring ambient organic compounds with different oxidation extents (fromVOCs to HOMs). The results therefore provide a more comprehensiveunderstanding of the molecular composition and volatility of atmosphericorganic compounds as well as new insights into interpreting ambientmeasurements or testing/improving parameterizations in transport and climatemodels.more » « less
-
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−3), the aerosol mass yield is calculated to be 27.0–104.1 %. 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 NOx. 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.more » « less
-
null (Ed.)Abstract. Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) contributesubstantially to the formation and growth of atmospheric aerosol particles,which affect air quality, human health and Earth's climate. HOMs are formedby rapid, gas-phase autoxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) suchas α-pinene, the most abundant monoterpene in the atmosphere. Due totheir abundance and low volatility, HOMs can play an important role innew-particle formation (NPF) and the early growth of atmospheric aerosols,even without any further assistance of other low-volatility compounds suchas sulfuric acid. Both the autoxidation reaction forming HOMs and theirNPF rates are expected to be strongly dependent ontemperature. However, experimental data on both effects are limited.Dedicated experiments were performed at the CLOUD (Cosmics Leaving OUtdoorDroplets) chamber at CERN to address this question. In this study, we showthat a decrease in temperature (from +25 to −50 ∘C) results ina reduced HOM yield and reduced oxidation state of the products, whereas theNPF rates (J1.7 nm) increase substantially.Measurements with two different chemical ionization mass spectrometers(using nitrate and protonated water as reagent ion, respectively) providethe molecular composition of the gaseous oxidation products, and atwo-dimensional volatility basis set (2D VBS) model provides their volatilitydistribution. The HOM yield decreases with temperature from 6.2 % at 25 ∘C to 0.7 % at −50 ∘C. However, there is a strongreduction of the saturation vapor pressure of each oxidation state as thetemperature is reduced. Overall, the reduction in volatility withtemperature leads to an increase in the nucleation rates by up to 3orders of magnitude at −50 ∘C compared with 25 ∘C. Inaddition, the enhancement of the nucleation rates by ions decreases withdecreasing temperature, since the neutral molecular clusters have increasedstability against evaporation. The resulting data quantify how the interplaybetween the temperature-dependent oxidation pathways and the associatedvapor pressures affect biogenic NPF at the molecularlevel. Our measurements, therefore, improve our understanding of purebiogenic NPF for a wide range of tropospherictemperatures and precursor concentrations.more » « less
