scholarly journals Development of a protocol for the auto-generation of explicit aqueous-phase oxidation schemes of organic compounds

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bräuer ◽  
Camille Mouchel-Vallon ◽  
Andreas Tilgner ◽  
Anke Mutzel ◽  
Olaf Böge ◽  
...  

Abstract. This paper presents a new CAPRAM/GECKO-A protocol for mechanism auto-generation of aqueous-phase organic mechanisms. For the development, kinetic data in the literature was reviewed and a database with 464 aqueous-phase reactions of the hydroxyl radical with organic compounds and 130 nitrate radical reactions with organic compounds has been compiled and evaluated. Five different methods to predict aqueous-phase rate constants have been evaluated with the help of the kinetics database: gas-aqueous correlations, homologous series of various compound classes, radical reactivity comparisons, Evans-Polanyi-type correlations, and structure-activity relationships (SARs). The quality of these prediction methods was tested as well as their suitability for automated mechanism construction. Based on this evaluation, SARs form the basis of the new CAPRAM/GECKO-A protocol. Evans-Polanyi-type correlations have been advanced to consider all available H-atoms in a molecule besides the H-atoms with only the weakest bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE). The improved Evans-Polanyi-type correlations are used to predict rate constants for aqueous-phase NO3 + organic compounds reactions. Extensive tests have been performed on essential parameters and highly uncertain parameters with limited experimental data. These sensitivity studies led to further improvements in the new CAPRAM/GECKO-A protocol, but also showed current limitations. Biggest uncertainties were observed in uptake processes and the estimation of Henry's Law coefficients as well as radical chemistry, in particular the degradation of alkoxy radicals. Previous estimation methods showed several deficits, which impacted particle growth. For further evaluation, a mesitylene oxidation experiment has been performed at the aerosol chamber LEAK at high relative humidity conditions and compared to a multiphase mechanism using the MCMv3.2 in the gas phase and a methylglyoxal oxidation scheme of about 600 reactions generated with the new CAPRAM/GECKO-A protocol in the aqueous phase. While it was difficult to evaluate single particle constituents due to concentrations close to the detection limits of the instruments applied, the model studies showed the importance of aqueous-phase chemistry in respect to SOA formation and particle growth. The new protocol forms the basis for further CAPRAM mechanism development towards a new version 4.0. Moreover, it can be used as supplementary tool for aerosol chambers to design and analyse experiments of chemical complexity and help understanding them on a molecular level.

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (14) ◽  
pp. 9209-9239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bräuer ◽  
Camille Mouchel-Vallon ◽  
Andreas Tilgner ◽  
Anke Mutzel ◽  
Olaf Böge ◽  
...  

Abstract. This paper presents a new CAPRAM–GECKO-A protocol for mechanism auto-generation of aqueous-phase organic processes. For the development, kinetic data in the literature were reviewed and a database with 464 aqueous-phase reactions of the hydroxyl radical with organic compounds and 130 nitrate radical reactions with organic compounds has been compiled and evaluated. Five different methods to predict aqueous-phase rate constants have been evaluated with the help of the kinetics database: gas–aqueous phase correlations, homologous series of various compound classes, radical reactivity comparisons, Evans–Polanyi-type correlations, and structure–activity relationships (SARs). The quality of these prediction methods was tested as well as their suitability for automated mechanism construction. Based on this evaluation, SARs form the basis of the new CAPRAM–GECKO-A protocol. Evans–Polanyi-type correlations have been advanced to consider all available H atoms in a molecule besides the H atoms with only the weakest bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs). The improved Evans–Polanyi-type correlations are used to predict rate constants for aqueous-phase NO3 and organic compounds reactions. Extensive tests have been performed on essential parameters and on highly uncertain parameters with limited experimental data. These sensitivity studies led to further improvements in the new CAPRAM–GECKO-A protocol but also showed current limitations. Biggest uncertainties were observed in uptake processes and the estimation of Henry's law coefficients as well as radical chemistry, in particular the degradation of alkoxy radicals. Previous estimation methods showed several deficits, which impacted particle growth. For further evaluation, a 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene oxidation experiment has been performed in the aerosol chamber “Leipziger Aerosolkammer” (LEAK) at high relative humidity conditions and compared to a multiphase mechanism using the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCMv3.2) in the gas phase and using a methylglyoxal oxidation scheme of about 600 reactions generated with the new CAPRAM–GECKO-A protocol in the aqueous phase. While it was difficult to evaluate single particle constituents due to concentrations close to the detection limits of the instruments applied, the model studies showed the importance of aqueous-phase chemistry in respect to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and particle growth. The new protocol forms the basis for further CAPRAM mechanism development towards a new version 4.0. Moreover, it can be used as a supplementary tool for aerosol chambers to design and analyse experiments of chemical complexity and help to understand them on a molecular level.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Rosanka ◽  
Rolf Sander ◽  
Bruno Franco ◽  
Catherine Wespes ◽  
Andreas Wahner ◽  
...  

<p>Large parts of the troposphere are affected by clouds, whose aqueous-phase chemistry differs significantly from gas-phase chemistry. Box-model studies have demonstrated that clouds influence the tropospheric oxidation capacity. However, most global atmospheric models do not represent this chemistry reasonably well and are largely limited to sulfur oxidation. Therefore, we have developed the Jülich Aqueous-phase Mechanism of Organic Chemistry (JAMOC), making a detailed in-cloud oxidation model of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) readily available for box as well as for regional and global simulations that are affordable with modern supercomputers. JAMOC includes the phase transfer of species containing up to ten carbon atoms, and the aqueous-phase reactions of a selection of species containing up to four carbon atoms, e.g., ethanol, acetaldehyde, glyoxal. The impact of in-cloud chemistry on tropospheric composition is assessed on a regional and global scale by performing a combination of box-model studies using the Chemistry As A Boxmodel Application (CAABA) and the global atmospheric model ECHAM/MESSy (EMAC). These models are capable to represent the described processes explicitly and integrate the corresponding ODE system with a Rosenbrock solver. </p><p>Overall, the explicit in-cloud oxidation leads to a reduction of predicted OVOCs levels. By comparing EMAC's prediction of methanol abundance to spaceborne retrievals from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), a reduction in EMAC's overestimation is observed in the tropics. Further, the in-cloud OVOC oxidation shifts the hydroperoxyl radicals (HO<sub>2</sub>) production from the gas- to the aqueous-phase. As a result, the in-cloud destruction (scavenging) of ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) by the superoxide anion (O<sub>2</sub><sup>-</sup>) is enhanced and accompanied by a reduction in both sources and sinks of tropospheric O<sub>3</sub> in the gas phase. By considering only the in-cloud sulfur oxidation by O<sub>3</sub>, about 13 Tg a<sup>-1</sup> of O<sub>3</sub> are scavenged, which increases to 336 Tg a<sup>-1</sup> when JAMOC is used. With the full oxidation scheme, the highest O<sub>3</sub> reduction of 12 % is predicted in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS). Based on the IASI O<sub>3</sub> retrievals, it is demonstrated that these changes in the free troposphere significantly reduce the modelled tropospheric O<sub>3</sub> columns, which are known to be generally overestimated by global atmospheric models. Finally, the relevance of aqueous-phase oxidation of organics for ozone in hazy polluted regions will be presented.  </p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1339-1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Mouchel-Vallon ◽  
Laurent Deguillaume ◽  
Anne Monod ◽  
Hélène Perroux ◽  
Clémence Rose ◽  
...  

Abstract. A new detailed aqueous phase mechanism named the Cloud Explicit Physico-chemical Scheme (CLEPS 1.0) is proposed to describe the oxidation of water soluble organic compounds resulting from isoprene oxidation. It is based on structure activity relationships (SARs) which provide global rate constants together with branching ratios for HO⋅ abstraction and addition on atmospheric organic compounds. The GROMHE SAR allows the evaluation of Henry's law constants for undocumented organic compounds. This new aqueous phase mechanism is coupled with the MCM v3.3.1 gas phase mechanism through a mass transfer scheme between gas phase and aqueous phase. The resulting multiphase mechanism has then been implemented in a model based on the Dynamically Simple Model for Atmospheric Chemical Complexity (DSMACC) using the Kinetic PreProcessor (KPP) that can serve to analyze data from cloud chamber experiments and field campaigns. The simulation of permanent cloud under low-NOx conditions describes the formation of oxidized monoacids and diacids in the aqueous phase as well as a significant influence on the gas phase chemistry and composition and shows that the aqueous phase reactivity leads to an efficient fragmentation and functionalization of organic compounds.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 10960-10977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik H. Hoffmann ◽  
Andreas Tilgner ◽  
Ralf Wolke ◽  
Olaf Böge ◽  
Arno Walter ◽  
...  

An aqueous-phase chemistry mechanism for the oxidation of aromatic compounds in the atmosphere is developed based on available kinetic data. Detailed model studies successfully describe the oxidation and functionalization of monoaromatic compounds in the atmosphere.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 9857-9901 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. N. Murphy ◽  
N. M. Donahue ◽  
C. Fountoukis ◽  
M. Dall'Osto ◽  
C. O'Dowd ◽  
...  

Abstract. Multigenerational oxidation chemistry of atmospheric organic compounds and its effects on aerosol loadings and chemical composition is investigated by implementing the Two-Dimensional Volatility Basis Set (2-D-VBS) in a Lagrangian host chemical transport model. Three model formulations were chosen to explore the complex interactions between functionalization and fragmentation processes during gas-phase oxidation of organic compounds by the hydroxyl radical. The base case model employs a conservative transformation by assuming a reduction of one order of magnitude in effective saturation concentration and an increase of oxygen content by one or two oxygen atoms per oxidation generation. A second scheme simulates functionalization in more detail using group contribution theory to estimate the effects of oxygen addition to the carbon backbone on the compound volatility. Finally, a fragmentation scheme is added to the detailed functionalization scheme to create a functionalization-fragmentation parameterization. Two condensed-phase chemistry pathways are also implemented as additional sensitivity tests to simulate (1) heterogeneous oxidation via OH uptake to the particle-phase and (2) aqueous-phase chemistry of glyoxal and methylglyoxal. The model is applied to summer and winter periods at three sites where observations of organic aerosol (OA) mass and O:C were obtained during the European Integrated Project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions (EUCAARI) campaigns. The base case model reproduces observed mass concentrations and O:C well, with fractional errors (FE) lower than 55% and 25%, respectively. The detailed functionalization scheme tends to overpredict OA concentrations, especially in the summertime, and also underpredicts O:C by approximately a factor of 2. The detailed functionalization model with fragmentation agrees well with the observations for OA concentration, but still underpredicts O:C. Both heterogeneous oxidation and aqueous-phase processing have small effects on OA levels but heterogeneous oxidation, as implemented here, does enhance O:C by about 0.1. The different schemes result in very different fractional attribution for OA between anthropogenic and biogenic sources.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (42) ◽  
pp. 11776-11781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Hans Hoffmann ◽  
Andreas Tilgner ◽  
Roland Schrödner ◽  
Peter Bräuer ◽  
Ralf Wolke ◽  
...  

Oceans dominate emissions of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), the major natural sulfur source. DMS is important for the formation of non-sea salt sulfate (nss-SO42−) aerosols and secondary particulate matter over oceans and thus, significantly influence global climate. The mechanism of DMS oxidation has accordingly been investigated in several different model studies in the past. However, these studies had restricted oxidation mechanisms that mostly underrepresented important aqueous-phase chemical processes. These neglected but highly effective processes strongly impact direct product yields of DMS oxidation, thereby affecting the climatic influence of aerosols. To address these shortfalls, an extensive multiphase DMS chemistry mechanism, the Chemical Aqueous Phase Radical Mechanism DMS Module 1.0, was developed and used in detailed model investigations of multiphase DMS chemistry in the marine boundary layer. The performed model studies confirmed the importance of aqueous-phase chemistry for the fate of DMS and its oxidation products. Aqueous-phase processes significantly reduce the yield of sulfur dioxide and increase that of methyl sulfonic acid (MSA), which is needed to close the gap between modeled and measured MSA concentrations. Finally, the simulations imply that multiphase DMS oxidation produces equal amounts of MSA and sulfate, a result that has significant implications for nss-SO42− aerosol formation, cloud condensation nuclei concentration, and cloud albedo over oceans. Our findings show the deficiencies of parameterizations currently used in higher-scale models, which only treat gas-phase chemistry. Overall, this study shows that treatment of DMS chemistry in both gas and aqueous phases is essential to improve the accuracy of model predictions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 10797-10816 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. N. Murphy ◽  
N. M. Donahue ◽  
C. Fountoukis ◽  
M. Dall'Osto ◽  
C. O'Dowd ◽  
...  

Abstract. Multigenerational oxidation chemistry of atmospheric organic compounds and its effects on aerosol loadings and chemical composition is investigated by implementing the Two-Dimensional Volatility Basis Set (2-D-VBS) in a Lagrangian host chemical transport model. Three model formulations were chosen to explore the complex interactions between functionalization and fragmentation processes during gas-phase oxidation of organic compounds by the hydroxyl radical. The base case model employs a conservative transformation by assuming a reduction of one order of magnitude in effective saturation concentration and an increase of oxygen content by one or two oxygen atoms per oxidation generation. A second scheme simulates functionalization in more detail using group contribution theory to estimate the effects of oxygen addition to the carbon backbone on the compound volatility. Finally, a fragmentation scheme is added to the detailed functionalization scheme to create a functionalization-fragmentation parameterization. Two condensed-phase chemistry pathways are also implemented as additional sensitivity tests to simulate (1) heterogeneous oxidation via OH uptake to the particle-phase and (2) aqueous-phase chemistry of glyoxal and methylglyoxal. The model is applied to summer and winter periods at three sites where observations of organic aerosol (OA) mass and O:C were obtained during the European Integrated Project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions (EUCAARI) campaigns. The base case model reproduces observed mass concentrations and O:C well, with fractional errors (FE) lower than 55% and 25%, respectively. The detailed functionalization scheme tends to overpredict OA concentrations, especially in the summertime, and also underpredicts O:C by approximately a factor of 2. The detailed functionalization model with fragmentation agrees well with the observations for OA concentration, but still underpredicts O:C. Both heterogeneous oxidation and aqueous-phase processing have small effects on OA levels but heterogeneous oxidation, as implemented here, does enhance O:C by about 0.1. The different schemes result in very different fractional attribution for OA between anthropogenic and biogenic sources.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (21) ◽  
pp. 31891-31924
Author(s):  
M. Rodigast ◽  
A. Mutzel ◽  
J. Schindelka ◽  
H. Herrmann

Abstract. Carbonyl compounds are ubiquitous in atmospheric multiphase system participating in gas, particle, and aqueous-phase chemistry. One important compound is methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), as it is detected in significant amounts in the gas phase as well as in cloud water, ice, and rain. Consequently, it can be expected that MEK influences the liquid phase chemistry. Therefore, the oxidation of MEK and the formation of corresponding oxidation products were investigated in the aqueous phase. Several oxidation products were identified from the oxidation with OH radicals, including 2,3-butanedione, hydroxyacetone, and methyl glyoxal. The molar yields were 29.5 % for 2,3-butanedione, 3.0 % for hydroxyacetone, and 9.5 % for methyl glyoxal. Since methyl glyoxal is often related to the formation of organics in the aqueous phase, MEK should be considered for the formation of aqueous secondary organic aerosol (aqSOA). Based on the experimentally obtained data, a reaction mechanism for the formation of methyl glyoxal has been developed and evaluated with a model study. Besides known rate constants, the model contains measured photolysis rate constants for MEK (kp = 5 × 10−5 s−1), 2,3-butanedione (kp = 9 × 10−6 s−1), methyl glyoxal (kp = 3 × 10−5 s−1), and hydroxyacetone (kp = 2 × 10−5 s−1). From the model predictions, a branching ratio of 60/40 for primary/secondary H-atom abstraction at the MEK skeleton was found. This branching ratio reproduces the experiment results very well, especially the methyl glyoxal formation, which showed excellent agreement. Overall, this study demonstrates MEK as a methyl glyoxal precursor compound for the first time.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 2689-2702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Rodigast ◽  
Anke Mutzel ◽  
Janine Schindelka ◽  
Hartmut Herrmann

Abstract. Carbonyl compounds are ubiquitous in atmospheric multiphase system participating in gas, particle, and aqueous-phase chemistry. One important compound is methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), as it is detected in significant amounts in the gas phase as well as in cloud water, ice, and rain. Consequently, it can be expected that MEK influences the liquid-phase chemistry. Therefore, the oxidation of MEK and the formation of corresponding oxidation products were investigated in the aqueous phase. Several oxidation products were identified from the oxidation with OH radicals, including 2,3-butanedione, hydroxyacetone, and methylglyoxal. The molar yields were 29.5 % for 2,3-butanedione, 3.0 % for hydroxyacetone, and 9.5 % for methylglyoxal. Since methylglyoxal is often related to the formation of organics in the aqueous phase, MEK should be considered for the formation of aqueous secondary organic aerosol (aqSOA). Based on the experimentally obtained data, a reaction mechanism for the formation of methylglyoxal has been developed and evaluated with a model study. Besides known rate constants, the model contains measured photolysis rate constants for MEK (kp  =  5  ×  10−5 s−1), 2,3-butanedione (kp  =  9  ×  10−6 s−1), methylglyoxal (kp  =  3  ×  10−5 s−1), and hydroxyacetone (kp  =  2  ×  10−5 s−1). From the model predictions, a branching ratio of 60 /40 for primary/secondary H-atom abstraction at the MEK skeleton was found. This branching ratio reproduces the experiment results very well, especially the methylglyoxal formation, which showed excellent agreement. Overall, this study demonstrates MEK as a methylglyoxal precursor compound for the first time.


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