scholarly journals Investigation of the β-pinene photooxidation by OH in the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR

Author(s):  
Martin Kaminski ◽  
Hendrik Fuchs ◽  
Ismail-Hakki Acir ◽  
Birger Bohn ◽  
Theo Brauers ◽  
...  

Abstract. Beside isoprene, monoterpenes are the non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOC) with the highest global emission rates. Due to their high reactivity towards OH, monoterpenes can dominate the radical chemistry of the atmosphere in forested areas. In the present study the photochemical degradation mechanism of β-pinene was investigated in the Jülich atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR. The focus of this study is on the OH budget in the degradation process. Therefore the SAPHIR chamber was equipped with instrumentation to measure radicals (OH, HO2, RO2), the total OH reactivity, important OH precursors (O3, HONO, HCHO), the parent VOC beta-pinene, its main oxidation products, acetone and nopinone, and photolysis frequencies. All experiments were carried out under low NOx conditions (≤ 2 ppb) and at atmospheric beta-pinene concentrations (≤ 5 ppb) with and without addition of ozone. For the investigation of the OH budget, the OH production and destruction rates were calculated from measured quantities. Within the limits of accuracy of the instruments, the OH budget was balanced in all β-pinene oxidation experiments. However, even though the OH budget was closed, simulation results from the Master Chemical Mechanism 3.2 showed that the OH production and destruction rates were underestimated by the model. The measured OH and HO2 concentrations were underestimated by up to a factor of two whereas the total OH reactivity was slightly overestimated because of the poor reproduction of the measured nopinone by the model by up to a factor of three. A new, theory-derived first-generation product distribution by Vereecken and Peeters was able to reproduce the measured nopinone time series and the total OH reactivity. Nevertheless the measured OH and HO2 concentrations remained underestimated by the numerical simulations. These observations together with the fact that the measured OH budget was closed suggest the existence of unaccounted sources of HO2.

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 6631-6650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kaminski ◽  
Hendrik Fuchs ◽  
Ismail-Hakki Acir ◽  
Birger Bohn ◽  
Theo Brauers ◽  
...  

Abstract. Besides isoprene, monoterpenes are the non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the highest global emission rates. Due to their high reactivity towards OH, monoterpenes can dominate the radical chemistry of the atmosphere in forested areas. In the present study the photochemical degradation mechanism of β-pinene was investigated in the Jülich atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR (Simulation of Atmospheric PHotochemistry In a large Reaction Chamber). One focus of this study is on the OH budget in the degradation process. Therefore, the SAPHIR chamber was equipped with instrumentation to measure radicals (OH, HO2, RO2), the total OH reactivity, important OH precursors (O3, HONO, HCHO), the parent VOC β-pinene, its main oxidation products, acetone and nopinone and photolysis frequencies. All experiments were carried out under low-NO conditions ( ≤  300 ppt) and at atmospheric β-pinene concentrations ( ≤  5 ppb) with and without addition of ozone. For the investigation of the OH budget, the OH production and destruction rates were calculated from measured quantities. Within the limits of accuracy of the instruments, the OH budget was balanced in all β-pinene oxidation experiments. However, even though the OH budget was closed, simulation results from the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) 3.2 showed that the OH production and destruction rates were underestimated by the model. The measured OH and HO2 concentrations were underestimated by up to a factor of 2, whereas the total OH reactivity was slightly overestimated because the model predicted a nopinone mixing ratio which was 3 times higher than measured. A new, theory-derived, first-generation product distribution by Vereecken and Peeters (2012) was able to reproduce the measured nopinone time series and the total OH reactivity. Nevertheless, the measured OH and HO2 concentrations remained underestimated by the numerical simulations. These observations together with the fact that the measured OH budget was closed suggest the existence of unaccounted sources of HO2. Although the mechanism of additional HO2 formation could not be resolved, our model studies suggest that an activated alkoxy radical intermediate proposed in the model of Vereecken and Peeters (2012) generates HO2 in a new pathway, whose importance has been underestimated so far. The proposed reaction path involves unimolecular rearrangement and decomposition reactions and photolysis of dicarbonyl products, yielding additional HO2 and CO. Further experiments and quantum chemical calculations have to be made to completely unravel the pathway of HO2 formation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yat Sing Pang ◽  
Martin Kaminski ◽  
Anna Novelli ◽  
Philip Carlsson ◽  
Ismail-Hakki Acir ◽  
...  

<p>Limonene is the fourth-most abundant monoterpene in the atmosphere, which upon oxidation leads to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and thereby influences climate and air quality.</p><p>In this study, the oxidation of limonene by OH at different atmospherically relevant NO and HO<sub>2</sub> levels (NO: 0.1 – 10 ppb; HO<sub>2</sub>: 20 ppt) was investigated in simulation experiments in the SAPHIR chamber at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The analysis focuses on comparing measured radical concentrations (RO<sub>2</sub>, HO<sub>2</sub>, OH) and OH reactivity (k<sub>OH</sub>) with modeled values calculated using the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) version 3.3.1.</p><p>At high and medium NO concentrations, RO<sub>2</sub> is expected to quickly react with NO. An HO<sub>2</sub> radical is produced during the process that can be converted back to an OH radical by another reaction with NO. Consistently, for experiments conducted at medium NO levels (~0.5 ppb, RO<sub>2</sub> lifetime ~10 s), simulated RO<sub>2</sub>, HO<sub>2</sub>, and OH agree with observations within the measurement uncertainties, if the OH reactivity of oxidation products is correctly described.</p><p>At lower NO concentrations, the regeneration of HO<sub>2</sub> in the RO<sub>2</sub> + NO reaction is slow and the reaction of RO<sub>2</sub> with HO<sub>2</sub> gains importance in forming peroxides. However, simulation results show a large discrepancy between calculated radical concentrations and measurements at low NO levels (<0.1 ppb, RO<sub>2</sub> lifetime ~ 100 s). Simulated RO<sub>2</sub> concentrations are found to be overestimated by a factor of three; simulated HO<sub>2</sub> concentrations are underestimated by 50 %; simulated OH concentrations are underestimated by about 35%, even if k<sub>OH</sub> is correctly described. This suggests that there could be additional RO<sub>2</sub> reaction pathways that regenerate HO<sub>2</sub> and OH radicals become important, but they are not taken into account in the MCM model.</p>


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (20) ◽  
pp. 4778
Author(s):  
Natalia P. Mishchenko ◽  
Elena A. Vasileva ◽  
Andrey V. Gerasimenko ◽  
Valeriya P. Grigorchuk ◽  
Pavel S. Dmitrenok ◽  
...  

Echinochrome A (Ech A, 1) is one of the main pigments of several sea urchin species and is registered in the Russian pharmacopeia as an active drug substance (Histochrome®), used in the fields of cardiology and ophthalmology. In this study, Ech A degradation products formed during oxidation by O2 in air-equilibrated aqueous solutions were identified, isolated, and structurally characterized. An HPLC method coupled with diode-array detection (DAD) and mass spectrometry (MS) was developed and validated to monitor the Ech A degradation process and identify the appearing compounds. Five primary oxidation products were detected and their structures were proposed on the basis of high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) as 7-ethyl-2,2,3,3,5,7,8-heptahydroxy-2,3-dihydro-1,4-naphthoquinone (2), 6-ethyl-5,7,8-trihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-1,2,3,4-tetraone (3), 2,3-epoxy-7-ethyl-2,3-dihydro-2,3,5,6,8-pentahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (4), 2,3,4,5,7-pentahydroxy-6-ethylinden-1-one (5), and 2,2,4,5,7-pentahydroxy-6-ethylindane-1,3-dione (6). Three novel oxidation products were isolated, and NMR and HR-ESI-MS methods were used to establish their structures as 4-ethyl-3,5,6-trihydroxy-2-oxalobenzoic acid (7), 4-ethyl-2-formyl-3,5,6-trihydroxybenzoic acid (8), and 4-ethyl-2,3,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid (9). The known compound 3-ethyl-2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (10) was isolated along with products 7–9. Compound 7 turned out to be unstable; its anhydro derivative 11 was obtained in two crystal forms, the structure of which was elucidated using X-ray crystallography as 7-ethyl-5,6-dihydroxy-2,3-dioxo-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-4-carboxylic acid and named echinolactone. The chemical mechanism of Ech A oxidative degradation is proposed. The in silico toxicity of Ech A and its degradation products 2 and 7–10 were predicted using the ProTox-II webserver. The predicted median lethal dose (LD50) value for product 2 was 221 mg/kg, and, for products 7–10, it appeared to be much lower (≥2000 mg/kg). For Ech A, the predicted toxicity and mutagenicity differed from our experimental data.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 5595-5610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fulizi Xiong ◽  
Carlos H. Borca ◽  
Lyudmila V. Slipchenko ◽  
Paul B. Shepson

Abstract. In isoprene-impacted environments, carbonyl nitrates are produced from NO3-initiated isoprene oxidation, which constitutes a potentially important NOx reservoir. To better understand the fate of isoprene carbonyl nitrates, we synthesized a model compound, trans-2-methyl-4-nitrooxy-2-buten-1-al (4,1-isoprene carbonyl nitrate, or 4,1-isoprene nitrooxy enal), and investigated its photochemical degradation process. The measured OH and O3 oxidation rate constants (298 K) for this nitrooxy enal are 4.1(±0.7)  ×  10−11 cm3 molecules−1 s−1 and 4.4(±0.3)  ×  10−18 cm3 molecules−1 s−1, respectively. Its UV absorption spectrum was determined, and the result is consistent with TDDFT calculations. Based on its UV absorption cross section and photolysis frequency in a reaction chamber, we estimate that the ambient photolysis frequency for this compound is 3.1(±0.8)  ×  10−4 s−1 for a solar zenith angle of 45°. The fast photolysis rate and high reactivity toward OH lead to a lifetime of less than 1 h for the isoprene nitrooxy enal, with photolysis being a dominant daytime sink. The nitrate products derived from the OH oxidation and the photolysis of the nitrooxy enal were identified with an iodide-based chemical ionization mass spectrometer. For the OH oxidation reaction, we quantified the yields of two nitrate products, methyl vinyl ketone nitrate and ethanal nitrate, which together contributed to 36(±5) % of the first-generation products.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (21) ◽  
pp. 31247-31286
Author(s):  
L. K. Whalley ◽  
D. Stone ◽  
B. Bandy ◽  
R. Dunmore ◽  
J. F. Hamilton ◽  
...  

Abstract. Near-continuous measurements of OH reactivity in the urban background atmosphere of central London during the summer of 2012 are presented. OH reactivity behaviour is seen to be broadly dependent on airmass origin with the highest reactivity and the most pronounced diurnal profile observed when air had passed over central London to the East, prior to measurement. Averaged over the entire observation period of 26 days, OH reactivity peaked at ~ 27 s−1 in the morning with a minimum of ~ 15 s−1 during the afternoon. A maximum OH reactivity of 116 s−1 was recorded on one day during morning rush hour. A detailed box model using the Master Chemical Mechanism was used to calculate OH reactivity, and was constrained with an extended measurement dataset of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) derived from GC-FID and a two-dimensional GC instrument which included heavier molecular weight (up to C12) aliphatic VOCs, oxygenated VOCs and the biogenic VOCs of α pinene and limonene. Comparison was made between observed OH reactivity and modelled OH reactivity using (i) a standard suite of VOC measurements (C2-C8 hydrocarbons and a small selection of oxygenated VOCs) and (ii) a more comprehensive inventory including species up to C12. Modelled reactivities were lower than those measured (by 33 %) when only the reactivity of the standard VOC suite was considered. The difference between measured and modelled reactivity was improved, to within 15 %, if the reactivity of the higher VOCs (≥ C9) was also considered, with the reactivity of the biogenic compounds of α pinene and limonene and their oxidation products almost entirely responsible for this improvement. Further improvements in the model's ability to reproduce OH reactivity (to within 6 %) could be achieved if the reactivity and degradation mechanism of unassigned two-dimensional GC peaks were estimated. Neglecting the contribution of the higher VOCs (≥ C9) (particularly α pinene and limonene) and model-generated intermediates worsened the agreement between modelled and observed OH concentrations (by 41 %) and the magnitude of in situ ozone production calculated from the production of RO2 was significantly lower (60 %). This work highlights that any future ozone abatement strategies should consider the role that biogenic emissions play alongside anthropogenic emissions in influencing London's air quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (18) ◽  
pp. 11635-11649
Author(s):  
Michael Rolletter ◽  
Martin Kaminski ◽  
Ismail-Hakki Acir ◽  
Birger Bohn ◽  
Hans-Peter Dorn ◽  
...  

Abstract. The photooxidation of the most abundant monoterpene, α-pinene, by the hydroxyl radical (OH) was investigated at atmospheric concentrations in the atmospheric simulation chamber SAPHIR. Concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) were below 120 pptv. Yields of organic oxidation products are determined from measured time series giving values of 0.11±0.05, 0.19±0.06, and 0.05±0.03 for formaldehyde, acetone, and pinonaldehyde, respectively. The pinonaldehyde yield is at the low side of yields measured in previous laboratory studies, ranging from 0.06 to 0.87. These studies were mostly performed at reactant concentrations much higher than observed in the atmosphere. Time series of measured radical and trace-gas concentrations are compared to results from model calculations applying the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) 3.3.1. The model predicts pinonaldehyde mixing ratios that are at least a factor of 4 higher than measured values. At the same time, modeled hydroxyl and hydroperoxy (HO2) radical concentrations are approximately 25 % lower than measured values. Vereecken et al. (2007) suggested a shift of the initial organic peroxy radical (RO2) distribution towards RO2 species that do not yield pinonaldehyde but produce other organic products. Implementing these modifications reduces the model–measurement gap of pinonaldehyde by 20 % and also improves the agreement in modeled and measured radical concentrations by 10 %. However, the chemical oxidation mechanism needs further adjustment to explain observed radical and pinonaldehyde concentrations. This could be achieved by adjusting the initial RO2 distribution, but could also be done by implementing alternative reaction channels of RO2 species that currently lead to the formation of pinonaldehyde in the model.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 2109-2122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa K. Whalley ◽  
Daniel Stone ◽  
Brian Bandy ◽  
Rachel Dunmore ◽  
Jacqueline F. Hamilton ◽  
...  

Abstract. Near-continuous measurements of hydroxyl radical (OH) reactivity in the urban background atmosphere of central London during the summer of 2012 are presented. OH reactivity behaviour is seen to be broadly dependent on air mass origin, with the highest reactivity and the most pronounced diurnal profile observed when air had passed over central London to the east, prior to measurement. Averaged over the entire observation period of 26 days, OH reactivity peaked at  ∼  27 s−1 in the morning, with a minimum of  ∼  15 s−1 during the afternoon. A maximum OH reactivity of 116 s−1 was recorded on one day during morning rush hour. A detailed box model using the Master Chemical Mechanism was used to calculate OH reactivity, and was constrained with an extended measurement data set of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) derived from a gas chromatography flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) and a two-dimensional GC instrument which included heavier molecular weight (up to C12) aliphatic VOCs, oxygenated VOCs and the biogenic VOCs α-pinene and limonene. Comparison was made between observed OH reactivity and modelled OH reactivity using (i) a standard suite of VOC measurements (C2–C8 hydrocarbons and a small selection of oxygenated VOCs) and (ii) a more comprehensive inventory including species up to C12. Modelled reactivities were lower than those measured (by 33 %) when only the reactivity of the standard VOC suite was considered. The difference between measured and modelled reactivity was improved, to within 15 %, if the reactivity of the higher VOCs (⩾ C9) was also considered, with the reactivity of the biogenic compounds of α-pinene and limonene and their oxidation products almost entirely responsible for this improvement. Further improvements in the model's ability to reproduce OH reactivity (to within 6 %) could be achieved if the reactivity and degradation mechanism of unassigned two-dimensional GC peaks were estimated. Neglecting the contribution of the higher VOCs (⩾ C9) (particularly α-pinene and limonene) and model-generated intermediates increases the modelled OH concentrations by 41 %, and the magnitude of in situ ozone production calculated from the production of RO2 was significantly lower (60 %). This work highlights that any future ozone abatement strategies should consider the role that biogenic emissions play alongside anthropogenic emissions in influencing London's air quality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 13701-13719
Author(s):  
Michael Rolletter ◽  
Marion Blocquet ◽  
Martin Kaminski ◽  
Birger Bohn ◽  
Hans-Peter Dorn ◽  
...  

Abstract. The photooxidation of pinonaldehyde, one product of the α-pinene degradation, was investigated in the atmospheric simulation chamber SAPHIR under natural sunlight at low NO concentrations (<0.2 ppbv) with and without an added hydroxyl radical (OH) scavenger. With a scavenger, pinonaldehyde was exclusively removed by photolysis, whereas without a scavenger, the degradation was dominated by reaction with OH. In both cases, the observed rate of pinonaldehyde consumption was faster than predicted by an explicit chemical model, the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM, version 3.3.1). In the case with an OH scavenger, the observed photolytic decay can be reproduced by the model if an experimentally determined photolysis frequency is used instead of the parameterization in the MCM. A good fit is obtained when the photolysis frequency is calculated from the measured solar actinic flux spectrum, absorption cross sections published by Hallquist et al. (1997), and an effective quantum yield of 0.9. The resulting photolysis frequency is 3.5 times faster than the parameterization in the MCM. When pinonaldehyde is mainly removed by reaction with OH, the observed OH and hydroperoxy radical (HO2) concentrations are underestimated in the model by a factor of 2. Using measured HO2 as a model constraint brings modeled and measured OH concentrations into agreement. This suggests that the chemical mechanism includes all relevant OH-producing reactions but is missing a source for HO2. The missing HO2 source strength of (0.8 to 1.5) ppbv h−1 is similar to the rate of the pinonaldehyde consumption of up to 2.5 ppbv h−1. When the model is constrained by HO2 concentrations and the experimentally derived photolysis frequency, the pinonaldehyde decay is well represented. The photolysis of pinonaldehyde yields 0.18 ± 0.20 formaldehyde molecules at NO concentrations of less than 200 pptv, but no significant acetone formation is observed. When pinonaldehyde is also oxidized by OH under low NO conditions (maximum 80 pptv), yields of acetone and formaldehyde increase over the course of the experiment from 0.2 to 0.3 and from 0.15 to 0.45, respectively. Fantechi et al. (2002) proposed a degradation mechanism based on quantum-chemical calculations, which is considerably more complex than the MCM scheme and contains additional reaction pathways and products. Implementing these modifications results in a closure of the model–measurement discrepancy for the products acetone and formaldehyde, when pinonaldehyde is degraded only by photolysis. In contrast, the underprediction of formed acetone and formaldehyde is worsened compared to model results by the MCM, when pinonaldehyde is mainly degraded in the reaction with OH. This shows that the current mechanisms lack acetone and formaldehyde sources for low NO conditions like in these experiments. Implementing the modifications suggested by Fantechi et al. (2002) does not improve the model–measurement agreement of OH and HO2.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 2891-2974 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Jenkin ◽  
K. P. Wyche ◽  
C. J. Evans ◽  
T. Carr ◽  
P. S. Monks ◽  
...  

Abstract. A degradation mechanism for β-caryophyllene has recently been released as part of version 3.2 of the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM v3.2), describing the gas phase oxidation initiated by reaction with ozone, OH radicals and NO3 radicals. A detailed overview of the construction methodology is given, within the context of reported experimental and theoretical mechanistic appraisals. The performance of the mechanism has been evaluated in chamber simulations in which the gas phase chemistry was coupled to a representation of the gas-to-aerosol partitioning of 280 multi-functional oxidation products. This evaluation exercise considered data from a number of chamber studies of either the ozonolysis of β-caryophyllene, or the photo-oxidation of β-caryophyllene/NOx mixtures, in which detailed product distributions have been reported. This includes the results of a series of photo-oxidation experiments performed in the University of Manchester aerosol chamber, also reported here, in which a comprehensive characterization of the temporal evolution of the organic product distribution in the gas phase was carried out, using Chemical Ionisation Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (CIR-TOF-MS), in conjunction with measurements of NOx, O3 and SOA mass loading. The CIR-TOF-MS measurements allowed approximately 45 time-resolved product ion signals to be detected, which were assigned on the basis of the simulated temporal profiles of the more abundant MCM v3.2 species, and their probable fragmentation patterns. The evaluation studies demonstrate that the MCM v3.2 mechanism provides a generally acceptable description of β-caryophyllene degradation, under the chamber conditions considered, and a reliable basis for simulations where a representation of chemical detail is required. The studies have also highlighted a number of areas of uncertainty, where further investigation would be valuable to help interpret the results of chamber studies and improve detailed mechanistic understanding. These particularly include: (i) quantification of the yield and stability of the secondary ozonide (denoted BCSOZ in MCM v3.2), formed from β-caryophyllene ozonolysis, and elucidation of the details of its further oxidation, including whether the products retain the "ozonide" functionality; (ii) investigation of the impact of NOx on the β-caryophyllene ozonolysis mechanism, in particular its effect on the formation of β-caryophyllinic acid (denoted C137CO2H in MCM v3.2), and elucidation of its formation mechanism; (iii) routine independent identification of β-caryophyllinic acid, and its potentially significant isomer β-nocaryophyllonic acid (denoted C131CO2H in MCM v3.2); (iv) more precise quantification of the primary yield of OH (and other radicals) from β-caryophyllene ozonolysis; (v) quantification of the yields of the first-generation hydroxy nitrates (denoted BCANO3, BCBNO3 and BCCNO3 in MCM v3.2) from the OH-initiated chemistry in the presence of NOx; and (vi) further studies in general to improve the identification and quantification of products formed from both ozonolysis and photo-oxidation, including confirmation of the simulated formation of multifunctional species containing hydroperoxide groups, and their important contribution to SOA under NOx-free conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-853
Author(s):  
Dongmei Li ◽  
Wenjie Li ◽  
Quan Zhang ◽  
Yizhi Wang ◽  
Hongyu Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract The promising synergistic electrocatalytic system of phosphate (PO43−) with the mediator cobalt(II) (for short E-Co(II)-PO43−) was employed to degrade cationic dye methylene blue (MB). The exploration in the electrocatalytic process revealed that the main intermediate active oxidation products were Co(III), accompanied with hydroxyl radicals and peroxodiphosphates (P2O84−). Their synergistic electrocatalytic degradation rate to MB and total organic carbon (TOC) was up to 100 and 60% in 40 min, respectively, which was 5 times and 2.6 times that in a direct electrocatalytic system, correspondingly. The degradation process of the E-Co(II)-PO43− system on MB started with the bond being broken at the N-C junction of the MB molecule and intermediate active oxidation substances being generated, such as phenothiazine, 2-amino-5-(N-methylformamide) benzene sulfonic acid and N1,N1-dimethyl-1,4 diaminobenzene. Then, the intermediates were degraded into aniline, phenol and benzene sulfonic acid, and eventually decomposed into inorganic substances like CO2 and water. The electrocatalytic degradation mechanism of E-Co(II)-PO43− system on MB was the combination of indirect oxidation of the intermediate oxidants like Co(III), P2O84− and the hydroxyl radical with direct electrocatalysis on the platinum titanium electrode, where the electrocatalytic oxidation of Co(III) was dominant.


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