Rate Coefficients and Mechanisms for the Atmospheric Oxidation of the Aldehydes

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Calvert ◽  
Abdelwahid Mellouki ◽  
John Orlando ◽  
Michael Pilling ◽  
Timothy Wallington
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Saturated Hydrocarbon ◽  
Hydrocarbon Chain ◽  
Carbon Chain ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Rate Coefficients ◽  
Peroxy Radicals ◽  
Acyl Radical ◽  
Oxidation Of Methane ◽  
Peroxyacyl Nitrates

Aldehydes are emitted from a variety of anthropogenic sources associated with natural gas and petroleum combustion (for examples, see tables I-C-2 and I-C-3). Winer et al. (1992) have discussed direct emissions of aldehydes from biogenic sources. They are also important intermediates in the oxidation of directly emitted organic compounds. For example, formaldehyde, CH2O formed in the reaction of CH3O with O2 . . . CH3O + O2 → CH2O + HO2 . . . CH3O is formed in the oxidation of methane, and a number of other compounds. There are also many other sources of CH2O; for example, the Leeds University’s Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) lists a total of ∼ 140 CH2O precursors: http://mcm.leeds.ac.uk/MCM/. Aldehydes with saturated hydrocarbon chains (termed alkanals or acyclic aldehydes) react mainly with OH during the day and with NO3 at night. The aldehydic C—H bond is weaker than those in the hydrocarbon chain; and, certainly for the shorter carbon chain species, abstraction by both OH and NO3 occurs primarily at the aldehydic center to form an acyl radical which reacts rapidly with O2 to form an acylperoxy radical, e.g., . . . CH3CHO + OH → CH3CO + H2O . . . . . . CH3CO + O2 → CH3C(O)O2 . . . An important reaction of the acylperoxy radical is with NO2 to form an acylperoxy nitrate. In the example shown, the oxidation of acetaldehyde gives acetyl peroxy radicals which can react with NO2 to form peroxyacetyl nitrate, CH3C(O)O2NO2, generally known as PAN: . . . CH3C(O)O2 + NO2 → CH3C(O)O2NO2 . . . Peroxyacyl nitrates dissociate quite quickly at 298 K, to regenerate peroxyacyl radicals. For example, PAN has a lifetime of about 50 min. The lifetime increases rapidly at the lower temperatures experienced at higher altitudes and is several months at the temperatures (∼ 250 K) of the upper troposphere. This long lifetime provides a mechanism for the transport of NOx from polluted areas to less polluted areas, by transfer of peroxyacyl nitrates from the boundary layer to the free troposphere; subsequent subsidence can return them to the boundary layer where they dissociate at the higher temperatures encountered there. The atmospheric reactions of the nitrates are discussed in detail in chapters VIII and IX.

Rate Coefficients and Mechanisms for the Atmospheric Oxidation of the N-Atom-Containing Oxygenates

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Calvert ◽  
Abdelwahid Mellouki ◽  
John Orlando ◽  
Michael Pilling ◽  
Timothy Wallington
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Photochemical Reactions ◽  
Rate Coefficients ◽  
Peroxy Radicals ◽  
Alkyl Nitrates ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Peroxyacyl Nitrates ◽  
Alkyl Peroxy Radicals ◽  
The Many

The many different nitrogen-containing oxygenated volatile organic compounds that are present in the troposphere play important roles in the chemistry of our atmosphere. They can be emitted directly into the atmosphere, such as in the case of amides that are widely used as organic solvents, starting materials, or intermediates in different industries (e.g., synthetic polymers, manufacture of dyes, and synthesis of pesticides). Amides are formed in situ as intermediate products in the degradation of amines (e.g., see Tuazon et al., 1994; Finlayson-Pitts and Pitts, 2000). Nitrogen-containing oxygenated organic compounds are formed in the atmosphere also via reactions of alkoxy (RO) and alkyl peroxy radicals (RO2) with NO or NO2 leading to alkyl nitrates, alkyl nitrites, and peroxy acetyl nitrates. However, primary sources of these organic species have also been suggested such as diesel and other engines and biomass burning (e.g., see Simpson et al., 2002). Alkyl nitrates (RONO2) have been detected in both the urban and the remote troposphere (e.g., see Roberts, 1990; Walega et al., 1992; Atlas et al., 1992; Ridley et al., 1997; and Stroud et al., 2001; see also section I-D). Nitrates are formed as minor products in the reaction of peroxy radicals with NO. The nitrate yield increases with the size of peroxy radicals and can be as high as 20–30% for large (>C6) radicals (Calvert et al., 2008). Peroxyacyl nitrates (RC(O)O2NO2) are important constituents of urban air pollution. They have been identified in ambient air (e.g., see Bertman and Roberts, 1991; Williams et al., 1997, 2000; Nouaime et al., 1998; Hansel and Wisthaler, 2000; also see section I-D). They are formed from photochemical reactions via RC(O)O2 + NO2. A major role of these compounds is their capacity to act as a reservoir for NOx that can be transported from polluted urban to remote regions that are poor NOx regions and where their presence can increase NOx levels (Roberts, 1990). As with other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), once released to the atmosphere, nitrogen-containing organic compounds are expected to undergo degradation primarily via reaction with hydroxyl and nitrate radicals, reaction with ozone, and photolysis. Thermal decomposition is an important loss process for the peroxyacyl nitrates.

scholarly journals Diel peroxy radicals in a semi industrial coastal area: nighttime formation of free radicals

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 19529-19570 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Andrés-Hernández ◽  
D. Kartal ◽  
J. N. Growley ◽  
V. Sinha ◽  
E. Regelin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Trace Gases ◽  
Peroxy Radical ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Diurnal Variations ◽  
Peroxy Radicals ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Organic Trace

Abstract. Peroxy radicals were measured by a PeRCA (Peroxy Radical Chemical Amplifier) instrument in the boundary layer during the DOMINO (Diel Oxidant Mechanisms In relation to Nitrogen Oxides) campaign at a coastal, forested site influenced by urban-industrial emissions in Southern Spain in late autumn. Total peroxy radicals (RO2* = HO2 + ΣRO2) generally showed a daylight maximum between 10 and 50 pptv at 13:00 UTC, with an average of 18 pptv over the 15 days of measurements. Emissions from the industrial area of Huelva often impacted the measurement site at night during the campaign. The processing of significant levels of anthropogenic organics leads to an intense nocturnal radical chemistry accompanied by formation of organic peroxy radicals at comparable levels to those of summer photochemical conditions with peak events up to 60–80 pptv. The RO2 production initiated by reactions of NO3 with organic trace gases was estimated to be significant but not sufficient to account for the concentrations of RO2* observed in air masses carrying high pollutant loading. The nocturnal production of peroxy radicals seems therefore to be dominated by ozonolysis of volatile organic compounds. RO2* diurnal variations were consistent with other HO2 measurements available at the site. HO2/RO2* ratios generally varied between 0.3 and 0.4 in all wind directions. Occasional HO2/RO2* ≥ 1 seemed to be associated with periods of high RO2* variability and with RO2 interferences in the HO2 measurement in air masses with high RO2 load.

scholarly journals The magnitude of the snow-sourced reactive nitrogen flux to the boundary layer in the Uintah Basin, Utah, USA

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 13837-13851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Zatko ◽  
Joseph Erbland ◽  
Joel Savarino ◽  
Lei Geng ◽  
Lauren Easley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Reactive Nitrogen ◽  
Actinic Flux ◽  
Nitrogen Fluxes ◽  
Uintah Basin

Abstract. Reactive nitrogen (Nr  =  NO, NO2, HONO) and volatile organic carbon emissions from oil and gas extraction activities play a major role in wintertime ground-level ozone exceedance events of up to 140 ppb in the Uintah Basin in eastern Utah. Such events occur only when the ground is snow covered, due to the impacts of snow on the stability and depth of the boundary layer and ultraviolet actinic flux at the surface. Recycling of reactive nitrogen from the photolysis of snow nitrate has been observed in polar and mid-latitude snow, but snow-sourced reactive nitrogen fluxes in mid-latitude regions have not yet been quantified in the field. Here we present vertical profiles of snow nitrate concentration and nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) collected during the Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study 2014 (UBWOS 2014), along with observations of insoluble light-absorbing impurities, radiation equivalent mean ice grain radii, and snow density that determine snow optical properties. We use the snow optical properties and nitrate concentrations to calculate ultraviolet actinic flux in snow and the production of Nr from the photolysis of snow nitrate. The observed δ15N(NO3−) is used to constrain modeled fractional loss of snow nitrate in a snow chemistry column model, and thus the source of Nr to the overlying boundary layer. Snow-surface δ15N(NO3−) measurements range from −5 to 10 ‰ and suggest that the local nitrate burden in the Uintah Basin is dominated by primary emissions from anthropogenic sources, except during fresh snowfall events, where remote NOx sources from beyond the basin are dominant. Modeled daily averaged snow-sourced Nr fluxes range from 5.6 to 71  ×  107 molec cm−2 s−1 over the course of the field campaign, with a maximum noontime value of 3.1  ×  109 molec cm−2 s−1. The top-down emission estimate of primary, anthropogenic NOx in Uintah and Duchesne counties is at least 300 times higher than the estimated snow NOx emissions presented in this study. Our results suggest that snow-sourced reactive nitrogen fluxes are minor contributors to the Nr boundary layer budget in the highly polluted Uintah Basin boundary layer during winter 2014.

Inelastic rate coefficients for collisions of C4H− with H2

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Balança ◽  
Ernesto Quintas-Sánchez ◽  
Richard Dawes ◽  
Fabien Dumouchel ◽  
François Lique ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Rotational Level ◽  
Carbon Chain ◽  
Rate Coefficients ◽  
Thermodynamical Equilibrium ◽  
Close Coupling ◽  
State Approximation ◽  
Explicitly Correlated ◽  
State Rate ◽  
Chemical Conditions

Abstract Carbon-chain anions were recently detected in the interstellar medium. These very reactive species are used as tracers of the physical and chemical conditions in a variety of astrophysical environments. However, the Local Thermodynamical Equilibrium conditions are generally not fulfilled in these environments. Therefore, collisional as well as radiative rates are needed to accurately model the observed emission lines. We determine in this work the state-to-state rate coefficients of C4H− in collision with both ortho- and para-H2. A new ab initio 4D potential energy surface was computed using explicitly-correlated coupled cluster procedures. This surface was then employed to determine rotational excitation and de-excitation cross sections and rate coefficients for the first 21 rotational levels (up to rotational level j1 = 20) using the close-coupling method, while the coupled-state approximation was used to extend the calculations up to j1 = 30. State-to-state rate coefficients were obtained for the temperature range 2–100 K. The differences between the ortho- and para-H2 rate coefficients are found to be small.

Rate Coefficients and Mechanisms of Atmospheric Oxidation of the Esters

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Calvert ◽  
Abdelwahid Mellouki ◽  
John Orlando ◽  
Michael Pilling ◽  
Timothy Wallington
Keyword(s):  
Vegetable Oils ◽  
Methyl Esters ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Atmospheric Oxidation ◽  
Rate Coefficients ◽  
Oh Radicals ◽  
Loss Mechanism ◽  
Animal Fats

Esters are emitted directly into the atmosphere from both natural and anthropogenic sources and are produced during the atmospheric oxidation of ethers. Methyl acetate and ethyl acetate have found widespread use as solvents. Vegetable oils and animal fats are esters. Transesterification of vegetable oils and animal fats with methanol gives fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) which are used in biodiesel. Many esters have pleasant odors and are present in essential oils, fruits, and pheromones, and are often added to fragrances and consumer products to provide a pleasant odor. Table VII-A-1 provides a list of common esters and their odors. It is surprising to note that despite their ubiquitous nature, volatility, and fragrance, it is only very recently that quantitative measurements of esters in ambient air have been reported (Niedojadlo et al., 2007; Legreid et al., 2007). The atmospheric oxidation of saturated esters is largely initiated by OH radical attack. Reaction with O3 and NO3 radicals contributes to the atmospheric oxidation of unsaturated esters. As discussed in chapter IX, UV absorption by esters is only important for wavelengths below approximately 240 nm and, hence, photolysis is not a significant tropospheric loss mechanism. When compared to the ethers from which they can be derived, the esters are substantially less reactive towards OH radicals. The ester functionality —C(O)O— in R1C(O)OR2 deactivates the alkyl groups to which it is attached with the deactivation being most pronounced for the R1 group attached to the carbonyl group. The atmospheric oxidation mechanisms of the esters are reviewed in the present chapter. The reaction of OH with methyl formate has been studied by Wallington et al. (1988b) and Le Calvé et al. (1997a) over the temperature range 233–372 K. Data are summarized in table VII-B-1 and are plotted in figure VII-B-1. The room temperature determination of k(OH + CH3OCHO) by Wallington et al. is in agreement with that by Le Calvé et al. (1997) within the experimental uncertainties. Significant curvature is evident in the Arrhenius plot in figure VII-B-1.

scholarly journals The magnitude of the snow-sourced reactive nitrogen flux to the boundary layer in the Uintah Basin, Utah, USA

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Zatko ◽  
Joseph Erbland ◽  
Joel Savarino ◽  
Lei Geng ◽  
Lauren Easley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Reactive Nitrogen ◽  
Actinic Flux ◽  
Nitrogen Fluxes ◽  
Uintah Basin

Abstract. Reactive nitrogen (Nr = NO, NO2, HONO) and volatile organic carbon emissions from oil and gas extraction activities play a major role in wintertime ground-level ozone exceedance events of up to 140 ppb in the Uintah Basin in eastern Utah. Such events occur only when the ground is snow covered, due to the impacts of snow on the stability and depth of the boundary layer and ultraviolet actinic flux at the surface. Recycling of reactive nitrogen from the photolysis of snow nitrate has been observed in polar and mid-latitude snow, but snow-sourced reactive nitrogen fluxes in mid-latitude regions have not yet been quantified in the field. Here we present vertical profiles of snow nitrate concentration and nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) collected during the Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study 2014 (UBWOS 2014), along with observations of insoluble light-absorbing impurities, radiation equivalent mean ice grain radii, and snow density that determine snow optical properties. We use the snow optical properties and nitrate concentrations to calculate ultraviolet actinic flux in snow and the production of Nr from the photolysis of snow nitrate. The observed δ15N(NO3−) is used to constrain modeled fractional loss of snow nitrate in a snow chemistry column model, and thus the source of snow-sourced Nr to the overlying boundary layer. Snow-surface δ15N(NO3−) measurements range from −5 ‰ to 10 ‰ and suggest that the local nitrate burden in the Uintah Basin is dominated by primary emissions from anthropogenic sources, except during fresh snowfall events, where remote NOx sources from beyond the basin are dominant. Modeled daily-averaged snow-sourced Nr fluxes range from 5.6−71 × 107 molec cm−2 s−1 over the course of the field campaign, with a maximum noon-time value of 3.1 × 109 molec cm−2 s−1. The top-down emission estimate of primary, anthropogenic NOx in the Uintah and Duchesne counties is at least 300 times higher than the estimated snow NOx emissions presented in this study. Our results suggest that snow-sourced reactive nitrogen fluxes are minor contributors to the Nr boundary layer budget in the highly-polluted Uintah Basin boundary layer during winter 2014.

scholarly journals Radicals in the marine boundary layer during NEAQS 2004: a model study of day-time and night-time sources and sinks

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 3075-3093 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sommariva ◽  
H. D. Osthoff ◽  
S. S. Brown ◽  
T. S. Bates ◽  
T. Baynard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
New England ◽  
Gas Phase ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Peroxy Radical ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Peroxy Radicals ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Aerosol Composition

Abstract. This paper describes a modelling study of several HOx and NOx species (OH, HO2, organic peroxy radicals, NO3 and N2O5) in the marine boundary layer. A model based upon the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) was constrained to observations of chemical and physical parameters made onboard the NOAA ship R/V Brown as part of the New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS) in the summer of 2004. The model was used to calculate [OH] and to determine the composition of the peroxy radical pool. Modelled [NO3] and [N2O5] were compared to in-situ measurements by Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy. The comparison showed that the model generally overestimated the measurements by 30–50%, on average. The model results were analyzed with respect to several chemical and physical parameters, including uptake of NO3 and N2O5 on fog droplets and on aerosol, dry deposition of NO3 and N2O5, gas-phase hydrolysis of N2O5 and reactions of NO3 with NMHCs and peroxy radicals. The results suggest that fog, when present, is an important sink for N2O5 via rapid heterogeneous uptake. The comparison between the model and the measurements were consistent with values of the heterogeneous uptake coefficient of N2O5 (γN2O5)>1×10−2, independent of aerosol composition in this marine environment. The analysis of the different loss processes of the nitrate radical showed the important role of the organic peroxy radicals, which accounted for a significant fraction (median: 15%) of NO3 gas-phase removal, particularly in the presence of high concentrations of dimethyl sulphide (DMS).

Rate Coefficients for the Reactions of Some C3to C5Hydrocarbon Peroxy Radicals with NO

1997 ◽  
Vol 101 (18) ◽  
pp. 3360-3366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürg Eberhard ◽  
Carleton J. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Rate Coefficients ◽  
Peroxy Radicals

scholarly journals Peroxy radical chemistry and the control of ozone photochemistry at Mace Head, Ireland during the summer of 2002

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 2193-2214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. L. Fleming ◽  
P. S. Monks ◽  
A. R. Rickard ◽  
D. E. Heard ◽  
W. J. Bloss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Peroxy Radical ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Ozone Production ◽  
Peroxy Radicals ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Model Measurement

Abstract. Peroxy radical (HO2+ΣRO2) measurements, using the PEroxy Radical Chemical Amplification (PERCA) technique at the North Atlantic Marine Boundary Layer EXperiment (NAMBLEX) at Mace Head in summer 2002, are presented and put into the context of marine, boundary-layer chemistry. A suite of other chemical parameters (NO, NO2, NO3, CO, CH4, O3, VOCs, peroxides), photolysis frequencies and meteorological measurements, are used to present a detailed analysis of the role of peroxy radicals in tropospheric oxidation cycles and ozone formation. Under the range of conditions encountered the peroxy radical daily maxima varied from 10 to 40 pptv. The diurnal cycles showed an asymmetric shape typically shifted to the afternoon. Using a box model based on the master chemical mechanism the average model measurement agreement was 2.5 across the campaign. The addition of halogen oxides to the model increases the level of model/measurement agreement, apparently by respeciation of HOx. A good correlation exists between j(HCHO).[HCHO] and the peroxy radicals indicative of the importance of HCHO in the remote atmosphere as a HOx source, particularly in the afternoon. The peroxy radicals showed a strong dependence on [NO2] with a break point at 0.1 ppbv, where the radicals increased concomitantly with the reactive VOC loading, this is a lower value than seen at representative urban campaigns. The HO2/(HO2+ΣRO2) ratios are dependent on [NOx] ranging between 0.2 and 0.6, with the ratio increasing linearly with NOx. Significant night-time levels of peroxy radicals were measured up to 25 pptv. The contribution of ozone-alkenes and NO3-alkene chemistry to night-time peroxy radical production was shown to be on average 59 and 41%. The campaign mean net ozone production rate was 0.11±0.3 ppbv h-1. The ozone production rate was strongly dependent on [NO] having linear sensitivity (dln(P(O3))/dln(NO)=1.0). The results imply that the N(O3) (the in-situ net photochemical rate of ozone production/destruction) will be strongly sensitive in the marine boundary layer to small changes in [NO] which has ramifications for changing NOx loadings in the European continental boundary layer.

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