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The indoor surfaces of dwellings across the United States range exhibit a wide range of chemical compositions and physical properties, which impacts semi-volatile partitioning, heterogeneous chemistry and the overall properties of indoor air. 

ABSTRACT: At fixed aerosol acidity, we recently demonstrated that dimers in isoprene epoxydiol-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) can heterogeneously react with hydroxyl radical (·OH) at faster rates than monomers. Aerosol acidity influences this aging process by enhancing the formation of oligomers in freshly generated IEPOX-SOA. Therefore, we systematically examined the role of aerosol acidity on kinetics and products resulting from heterogeneous ·OH oxidation of freshly generated IEPOX-SOA. IEPOX reacted with inorganic sulfate aerosol of varying initial pH (0.5, 1.5, and 2.5) in a steady state smog chamber to yield a constant source of freshly generated IEPOX-SOA, which was aged in an oxidation flow reactor for 0−22 equiv days of atmospheric ·OH exposure. Molecular-level chemical analyses revealed that the most acidic sulfate aerosol (pH 0.5) formed the largest oligomeric mass fraction, causing the slowest IEPOX-SOA mass decay with aging. Reactive uptake coefficients of ·OH (γOH) were 0.24 ± 0.06, 0.40 ± 0.05, and 0.49 ± 0.20 for IEPOX-SOA generated at pH 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5, respectively. IEPOXSOA became more liquid-like for pH 1.5 and 2.5, while exhibiting an irregular pattern for pH 0.5 with aging. Using kinetic and physicochemical data derived for a single aerosol pH in atmospheric models could inaccurately predict the fate of the IEPOX-SOA. 

The rapidly warming Arctic has transitioned to thinner sea ice which fractures, producing leads. Few studies have investigated Arctic sea spray aerosol (SSA) produced from open ocean, leads, and melt ponds, which vary in salinity and organic and microbial community composition. A marine aerosol reference tank was deployed aboard an icebreaker to the Arctic Ocean during August–September 2018 to study SSA generated from locally collected surface waters. Aerosol generation experiments were carried out using water collected from the marginal ice zone, a human-made hole in sea ice near the North Pole, and both lead and melt pond water during an ice floe drift period. Salinity, chlorophyll a, organic carbon, nitrogen, and microbial community composition were measured. Eukaryotic plankton and bacterial abundance were elevated in experimental water from the marginal ice zone, but the relative contributions from major eukaryotic taxonomic groups varied little across the experiments. The chemical composition of individual SSA particles was analyzed using Raman microspectroscopy and computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Individual sea salt aerosol, primary organic aerosol, and mineral dust particles were observed. Sea salt aerosol constituted 44–95% of individual submicrometer and 68–100% of supermicrometer particles, by number, generated during each experiment. Carbon was detected in 85%, by number, of the individual sea salt particles, with visible organic coatings. Carbohydrates were detected in 72% of particles, by number, with smaller contributions from long-chain fatty acids (13%) and siliceous material (15%). SSA generated from melt pond water contained only long-chain fatty acids and siliceous material. Quantification of the ice-nucleating activity showed that locally produced SSA may define the High Arctic background ice-nucleating particle population, but cannot account for the peak atmospheric concentrations observed. As the Arctic warms, the increasing SSA emissions have a complex dependence on changing biological and physical processes. 

ABSTRACT: Isoprene has the highest atmospheric emissions of any nonmethane hydrocarbon, and isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX) are well-established oxidation products and the primary contributors forming isoprene-derived secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Highly acidic particles (pH 0−3) widespread across the lower troposphere enable acid-driven multiphase chemistry of IEPOX, such as epoxide ring-opening reactions forming methyltetrol sulfates through nucleophilic attack of sulfate (SO4 2−). Herein, we systematically demonstrate an unexpected decrease in SOA formation from IEPOX on highly acidic particles (pH < 1). While IEPOX-SOA formation is commonly assumed to increase at low pH when more [H+] is available to protonate epoxides, we observe maximum SOA formation at pH 1 and less SOA formation at pH 0.0 and 0.4. This is attributed to limited availability of SO4 2− at pH values below the acid dissociation constant (pKa) of SO42− and bisulfate (HSO4−). The nucleophilicity of HSO4− is 100× lower than SO42−, decreasing SOA formation and shifting particulate products from low-volatility organosulfates to higher-volatility polyols. Current model parameterizations predicting SOA yields for IEPOX-SOA do not properly account for the SO42−/HSO4 − equilibrium, leading to overpredictions of SOA formation at low pH. Accounting for this underexplored acidity-dependent behavior is critical for accurately predicting SOA concentrations and resolving SOA impacts on air quality. 

The ability of an atmospheric aerosol to take up water or to participate in heterogeneous reactions is highly influenced by its phase state – solid, semi-solid, or liquid. These changes in phase state can be predicted by glass transition temperature (Tg), as particles at temperatures below their Tg will show solid properties, while increasing the temperature above their Tg will allow for semi-solid and eventually liquid properties. Historically, measurements of the Tg of bulk materials have been studied in order to model the phase states of aerosols in the atmosphere; however, these methods only permit an estimation of aerosol Tg based on their bulk chemical composition. Determining the Tg of individual particles will allow for more accurate model predictions of aerosol phase state. Herein, we apply a recently developed method utilizing a nano-thermal analysis (nanoTA) module coupled to an atomic force microscope (AFM), to determine the Tg of individual secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles generated from the reactive uptake of isoprene epoxydiol (IEPOX) onto acidic ammonium sulfate aerosol particles. NanoTA works by using a specialized AFM probe which can be heated while in contact with a particle of interest. As the temperature increases, the probe deflection will first increase due to thermal expansion of the particle followed by a decrease at its melting temperature (Tm). The Tg of the particle can then be determined from Tm using the Boyer–Beaman rule. We compared the Tg of IEPOX-derived SOA particles generated at relative humidity (RH) of 30, 65, and 80%, and found that increasing RH from 30 to 80% led to a decrease in average Tg of 22 K, indicating less viscous particles at higher RH conditions. Our measurements with this technique will allow for more accurate representations of the phase state of aerosols in the atmosphere. 

Hydroxyl radical (·OH)-initiated oxidation of isoprene, the most abundant nonmethane hydrocarbon in the atmosphere, is responsible for substantial amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) within ambient fine particles. Fine particulate 2-methyltetrol sulfate diastereoisomers (2-MTSs) are abundant SOA products formed via acid-catalyzed multiphase chemistry of isoprene-derived epoxydiols with inorganic sulfate aerosols under low-nitric oxide conditions. We recently demonstrated that heterogeneous ·OH oxidation of particulate 2-MTSs leads to the particle-phase formation of multifunctional organosulfates (OSs). However, it remains uncertain if atmospheric chemical aging of particulate 2-MTSs induces toxic effects within human lung cells. We show that inhibitory concentration-50 (IC50) values decreased from exposure to fine particulate 2-MTSs that were heterogeneously aged for 0 to 22 days by ·OH, indicating increased particulate toxicity in BEAS-2B lung cells. Lung cells further exhibited concentration-dependent modulation of oxidative stress- and inflammatory-related gene expression. Principal component analysis was carried out on the chemical mixtures and revealed positive correlations between exposure to aged multifunctional OSs and altered expression of targeted genes. Exposure to particulate 2-MTSs alone was associated with an altered expression of antireactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes (NQO-1, SOD-2, and CAT) indicative of a response to ROS in the cells. Increased aging of particulate 2-MTSs by ·OH exposure was associated with an increased expression of glutathione pathway related genes (GCLM and GCLC) and an anti-inflammatory gene (IL-10). 

Heterogeneous hydroxyl radical (•OH) oxidation is an important aging process for isoprene epoxydiol-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) that alters its chemical composition. It was recently demonstrated that heterogeneous •OH oxidation can age single-component particulate methyltetrol sulfates (MTSs), causing ∼55% of the SOA mass loss. However, our most recent study of freshly generated IEPOX-SOA particulate mixtures suggests that the lifetime of the complete IEPOX-SOA mixture against heterogeneous •OH oxidation can be prolonged through the fragmentation of higher-order oligomers. Published studies suggest that the heterogeneous •OH oxidation of IEPOX SOA could affect the organic atmospheric aerosol budget at varying rates, depending on aerosol chemical composition. However, heterogeneous •OH oxidation kinetics for the full IEPOX-SOA particulate mixture have not been reported. Here, we exposed freshly generated IEPOX-SOA particles to heterogeneous oxidation by •OH under humid conditions (relative humidity ∼57%) for 0−15 atmospheric-equivalent days of aging and derived an effective heterogeneous •OH rate coefficient (kOH) of 2.64 ± 0.4 × 10−13 cm^3 molecules−1 s−1. While ∼44% of particulate organic mass of nonoxidized IEPOX-SOA was consumed over the entire 15 day aging period, only <7% was consumed during the initial 10 aging days. By molecular-level chemical analysis, we determined oligomers were consumed at a faster rate (by a factor of 2−4) than monomers. Analysis of aerosol physicochemical properties shows that IEPOX-SOA has a core−shell morphology, and the shell becomes thinner with •OH oxidation. In summary, this study demonstrates that heterogeneous •OH oxidation of IEPOX-SOA particles is a dynamic process in which aerosol chemical composition and physicochemical properties play important roles. 

Atmospheric aerosols are key contributors to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nucleating particle (INP) formation, which can offset positive radiative forcing. Aerosol particles can undergo many cycles of droplet activation and subsequent drying before their removal from the atmosphere through dry or wet deposition. Cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions are affected by cloud droplet or ice crystal formation, which is related to the physicochemical properties of aerosol particles. Isoprene-derived secondary organic aerosol (iSOA) is an abundant component aerosol and has been previously found in INPs and cloud water residues, and it includes both soluble and insoluble residues in its particle matrix. Currently, most of our understanding of iSOA is derived from studying the soluble residues, but there has been a measurement gap for characterizing the insoluble residues. These measurements are needed as previous research has suggested that insoluble components could be important with respect to CCN and INP formation. Herein, a unique approach is utilized to collect the insoluble residues of SOA in ~3 µm droplets collected from a Spot Sampler from Aerosol Devices, Inc. iSOA is generated by reactive uptake of IEPOX onto acidic seed particles (ammonium sulfate + sulfuric acid) in a humidified atmospheric chamber under dark conditions. Droplets are impacted directly on a substrate or in a liquid medium to study the roles of insoluble residues from both single-particle and bulk perspectives. A suite of microspectroscopy techniques, including Raman and optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy, are used to probe the chemical composition of the residues. Atomic force microscopy – photothermal infrared (AFM-PTIR) spectroscopy and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) are used to measure the size distributions of the residues. These insights may help understand the properties of residues from cloud droplet evaporation and subsequent cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions in the atmosphere.