scholarly journals Studying volatility from composition, dilution, and heating measurements of secondary organic aerosols formed during <i>α</i>-pinene ozonolysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 5455-5466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Sato ◽  
Yuji Fujitani ◽  
Satoshi Inomata ◽  
Yu Morino ◽  
Kiyoshi Tanabe ◽  
...  

Abstract. Traditional yield curve analysis shows that semi-volatile organic compounds are a major component of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). We investigated the volatility distribution of SOAs from α-pinene ozonolysis using positive electrospray ionization mass analysis and dilution- and heat-induced evaporation measurements. Laboratory chamber experiments were conducted on α-pinene ozonolysis, in the presence and absence of OH scavengers. Among these, we identified not only semi-volatile products, but also less volatile highly oxygenated molecules (HOMs) and dimers. Ozonolysis products were further exposed to OH radicals to check the effects of photochemical aging. HOMs were also formed during OH-initiated photochemical aging. Most HOMs that formed from ozonolysis and photochemical aging had 10 or fewer carbons. SOA particle evaporation after instantaneous dilution was measured at  < 1 and  ∼ 40 % relative humidity. The volume fraction remaining of SOAs decreased with time and the equilibration timescale was determined to be 24–46 min for SOA evaporation. The experimental results of the equilibration timescale can be explained when the mass accommodation coefficient is assumed to be 0.1, suggesting that the existence of low-volatility materials in SOAs, kinetic inhibition, or some combined effect may affect the equilibration timescale measured in this study.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Sato ◽  
Yuji Fujitani ◽  
Satoshi Inomata ◽  
Yu Morino ◽  
Kiyoshi Tanabe ◽  
...  

Abstract. Traditional yield curve analysis shows that semi-volatile organic compounds are a major component of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). We investigated the volatility distribution of SOAs from α-pinene ozonolysis using positive electrospray ionization mass analysis and dilution- and heat-induced evaporation measurements. Laboratory chamber experiments were conducted on α-pinene ozonolysis, in the presence and absence of OH scavengers. Among these, we identified not only semi-volatile products, but also less volatile highly oxygenated molecules (HOMs) and dimers. Ozonolysis products were further exposed to OH radicals to check the effects of photochemical aging. HOMs were also formed during OH-initiated photochemical aging. Most HOMs that formed from ozonolysis and photochemical aging had ten or less carbons. SOA particle evaporation after instantaneous dilution was measured at


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Vallon ◽  
Linyu Gao ◽  
Junwei Song ◽  
Feng Jiang ◽  
Harald Saathoff

&lt;p&gt;The chemical composition of aerosols, in both gas and particle phase, is an important factor regarding their properties influencing weather, climate and human health. Organic compounds are a major fraction of atmospheric aerosols and their composition depends on chemical processing by atmospheric oxidants and photochemical reactions. These processes are complex due to the abundance of possible reactions and reaction partners and rarely studied over a wider range of atmospheric temperatures. To get a better understanding of photochemical processes in the atmosphere we studied different organic test aerosols from simple to more complex systems between 213 K and 293 K in the AIDA simulation chamber at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.&amp;#160; Photochemical reactions were studied using a new LED light-source simulating solar radiation in the UV and visible. The organic aerosols were either generated in situ by oxidation of VOC with ozone, OH radicals and NO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; radicals or by nebulizing aqueous solutions containing the aerosol components. &amp;#160;The aerosols were analysed by a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and a high&amp;#8211;resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS). &amp;#160;The latter one offers the possibility to study the composition of gas phase and particle phase separately. First results suggest that secondary organic aerosols from single precursors like toluene or &amp;#945;-pinene show no or only very small changes related to photochemistry even when formed in presence of high NOx concentrations. In contrast, aerosol particles containing molecules with larger mesomeric systems or atmospherically relevant photosensitizers show significant changes upon irradiation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this presentation, we will discuss the changes that organic aerosols undergo in gas and particle phase, during photochemical aging at temperatures between 213 and 293 K.&lt;/p&gt;


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1565-1580
Author(s):  
Manabu Shiraiwa ◽  
Ulrich Pöschl

Abstract. Mass accommodation is an essential process for gas–particle partitioning of organic compounds in secondary organic aerosols (SOA). The mass accommodation coefficient is commonly described as the probability of a gas molecule colliding with the surface to enter the particle phase. It is often applied, however, without specifying if and how deep a molecule has to penetrate beneath the surface to be regarded as being incorporated into the condensed phase (adsorption vs. absorption). While this aspect is usually not critical for liquid particles with rapid surface–bulk exchange, it can be important for viscous semi-solid or glassy solid particles to distinguish and resolve the kinetics of accommodation at the surface, transfer across the gas–particle interface, and further transport into the particle bulk. For this purpose, we introduce a novel parameter: an effective mass accommodation coefficient αeff that depends on penetration depth and is a function of surface accommodation coefficient, volatility, bulk diffusivity, and particle-phase reaction rate coefficient. Application of αeff in the traditional Fuchs–Sutugin approximation of mass-transport kinetics at the gas–particle interface yields SOA partitioning results that are consistent with a detailed kinetic multilayer model (kinetic multilayer model of gas–particle interactions in aerosols and clouds, KM-GAP; Shiraiwa et al., 2012) and two-film model solutions (Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry, MOSAIC; Zaveri et al., 2014) but deviate substantially from earlier modeling approaches not considering the influence of penetration depth and related parameters. For highly viscous or semi-solid particles, we show that the effective mass accommodation coefficient remains similar to the surface accommodation coefficient in the case of low-volatility compounds, whereas it can decrease by several orders of magnitude in the case of semi-volatile compounds. Such effects can explain apparent inconsistencies between earlier studies deriving mass accommodation coefficients from experimental data or from molecular dynamics simulations. Our findings challenge the approach of traditional SOA models using the Fuchs–Sutugin approximation of mass transfer kinetics with a fixed mass accommodation coefficient, regardless of particle phase state and penetration depth. The effective mass accommodation coefficient introduced in this study provides an efficient new way of accounting for the influence of volatility, diffusivity, and particle-phase reactions on SOA partitioning in process models as well as in regional and global air quality models. While kinetic limitations may not be critical for partitioning into liquid SOA particles in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), the effects are likely important for amorphous semi-solid or glassy SOA in the free and upper troposphere (FT–UT) as well as in the PBL at low relative humidity and low temperature.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manabu Shiraiwa ◽  
Ulrich Pöschl

Abstract. Mass accommodation is an essential process for gas-particle partitioning of organic compounds in secondary organic aerosols (SOA). The mass accommodation coefficient is commonly described as the probability of a gas molecule colliding with the surface to enter the particle phase. It is often applied, however, without specifying if and how deep a molecule has to penetrate beneath the surface to be regarded as incorporated into the condensed phase (adsorption vs. absorption). While this aspect is usually not critical for liquid particles with rapid surface-bulk exchange, it can be important for viscous semisolid or glassy solid particles to distinguish and resolve the kinetics of accommodation at the surface, transfer across the gas-particle interface, and further transport into the particle bulk. For this purpose, we introduce a novel parameter: an effective mass accommodation coefficient αeff that depends on penetration depth and is a function of surface accommodation coefficient, volatility, bulk diffusivity, and particle-phase reaction rate coefficient. Application of αeff in the traditional Fuchs-Sutugin approximation of mass-transport kinetics at the gas-particle interface yields SOA partitioning results that are consistent with a detailed kinetic multilayer model (KM-GAP, Shiraiwa et al., 2012) and two-film model solutions (MOSAIC, Zaveri et al., 2014) but deviate substantially from earlier modeling approaches not considering the influence of penetration depth and related parameters. For highly viscous or semisolid particles, we show that the effective mass accommodation coefficient remains similar to the surface accommodation coefficient in case of low-volatile compounds, whereas it can decrease by several orders of magnitude in case of semi-volatile compounds. Such effects can explain apparent inconsistencies between earlier studies deriving mass accommodation coefficients from experimental data or from molecular dynamics simulations. Our findings challenge the approach of traditional SOA models using the Fuchs-Sutugin approximation of mass transfer kinetics with a fixed mass accommodation coefficient regardless of particle phase state and penetration depth. The effective mass accommodation coefficient introduced in this study provides an efficient new way of accounting for the influence of volatility, diffusivity, and particle-phase reactions on SOA partitioning in process models as well as in regional and global air quality models.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 6803-6842 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. J. George ◽  
A. Vlasenko ◽  
J. G. Slowik ◽  
J. P. D. Abbatt

Abstract. The kinetics and reaction mechanism for the heterogeneous oxidation of saturated organic aerosols by gas-phase OH radicals were investigated under NOx-free conditions. The reaction of 150 nm diameter Bis(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate (BES) particles with OH was studied as a proxy for chemical aging of atmospheric aerosols containing saturated organic matter. An aerosol reactor flow tube combined with an Aerodyne time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (ToF-AMS) and scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) was used to study this system. Hydroxyl radicals were produced by 254 nm photolysis of O3 in the presence of water vapour. The kinetics of the heterogeneous oxidation of the BES particles was studied by monitoring the loss of a mass fragment of BES with the ToF-AMS as a function of OH exposure. We measured an initial OH uptake coefficient of γ0 = 1.26 (±0.04), confirming that this reaction is highly efficient. The density of BES particles increased by up to 20% of the original BES particle density at the highest OH exposure studied, consistent with the particle becoming more oxidized. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis showed that the major particle-phase reaction products are multifunctional carbonyls and alcohols with higher molecular weights than the starting material. Volatilization of oxidation products accounted for a maximum of 17% decrease of the particle volume at the highest OH exposure studied. Tropospheric organic aerosols will become more oxidized from heterogeneous photochemical oxidation, which may affect not only their physical and chemical properties, but also their hygroscopicity and cloud nucleation activity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 200 ◽  
pp. 251-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haijie Tong ◽  
Pascale S. J. Lakey ◽  
Andrea M. Arangio ◽  
Joanna Socorro ◽  
Christopher J. Kampf ◽  
...  

Mineral dust and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) account for a major fraction of atmospheric particulate matter, affecting climate, air quality and public health. How mineral dust interacts with SOA to influence cloud chemistry and public health, however, is not well understood. Here, we investigated the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are key species of atmospheric and physiological chemistry, in aqueous mixtures of SOA and mineral dust by applying electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometry in combination with a spin-trapping technique, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and a kinetic model. We found that substantial amounts of ROS including OH, superoxide as well as carbon- and oxygen-centred organic radicals can be formed in aqueous mixtures of isoprene, α-pinene, naphthalene SOA and various kinds of mineral dust (ripidolite, montmorillonite, kaolinite, palygorskite, and Saharan dust). The molar yields of total radicals were ∼0.02–0.5% at 295 K, which showed higher values at 310 K, upon 254 nm UV exposure, and under low pH (<3) conditions. ROS formation can be explained by the decomposition of organic hydroperoxides, which are a prominent fraction of SOA, through interactions with water and Fenton-like reactions with dissolved transition metal ions. Our findings imply that the chemical reactivity and aging of SOA particles can be enhanced upon interaction with mineral dust in deliquesced particles or cloud/fog droplets. SOA decomposition could be comparably important to the classical Fenton reaction of H2O2 with Fe2+ and that SOA can be the main source of OH radicals in aqueous droplets at low concentrations of H2O2 and Fe2+. In the human respiratory tract, the inhalation and deposition of SOA and mineral dust can also lead to the release of ROS, which may contribute to oxidative stress and play an important role in the adverse health effects of atmospheric aerosols in the Anthropocene.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 4387-4399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Hong ◽  
Mikko Äijälä ◽  
Silja A. K. Häme ◽  
Liqing Hao ◽  
Jonathan Duplissy ◽  
...  

Abstract. The volatility distribution of secondary organic aerosols that formed and had undergone aging – i.e., the particle mass fractions of semi-volatile, low-volatility and extremely low volatility organic compounds in the particle phase – was characterized in a boreal forest environment of Hyytiälä, southern Finland. This was done by interpreting field measurements using a volatility tandem differential mobility analyzer (VTDMA) with a kinetic evaporation model. The field measurements were performed during April and May 2014. On average, 40 % of the organics in particles were semi-volatile, 34 % were low-volatility organics and 26 % were extremely low volatility organics. The model was, however, very sensitive to the vaporization enthalpies assumed for the organics (ΔHVAP). The best agreement between the observed and modeled temperature dependence of the evaporation was obtained when effective vaporization enthalpy values of 80 kJ mol−1 were assumed. There are several potential reasons for the low effective enthalpy value, including molecular decomposition or dissociation that might occur in the particle phase upon heating, mixture effects and compound-dependent uncertainties in the mass accommodation coefficient. In addition to the VTDMA-based analysis, semi-volatile and low-volatility organic mass fractions were independently determined by applying positive matrix factorization (PMF) to high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS) data. The factor separation was based on the oxygenation levels of organics, specifically the relative abundance of mass ions at m∕z 43 (f43) and m∕z 44 (f44). The mass fractions of these two organic groups were compared against the VTDMA-based results. In general, the best agreement between the VTDMA results and the PMF-derived mass fractions of organics was obtained when ΔHVAP =  80 kJ mol−1 was set for all organic groups in the model, with a linear correlation coefficient of around 0.4. However, this still indicates that only about 16 % (R2) of the variation can be explained by the linear regression between the results from these two methods. The prospect of determining of extremely low volatility organic aerosols (ELVOAs) from AMS data using the PMF analysis should be assessed in future studies.


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