NO₃ chemistry of wildfire emissions: a kinetic study of the gas-phase reactions of furans with the NO₃ radical

Furans are emitted to the atmosphere during biomass burning from the pyrolysis of cellulose. They are one of the major contributing VOC classes to OH and NO3 reactivity in biomass burning plumes. The major removal process of furans from the atmosphere at night is reaction with the nitrate radical, NO3. Here we report a series of relative rate experiments in the 7300 L indoor simulation chamber at CNRS-ICARE, Orléans, using a number of different reference compounds to determine NO3 reaction rate coefficients for four furans, two furanones, and pyrrole. In the case of the two furanones, this is the first time that NO3 rate coefficients have been reported. The recommended values (cm3 molecule−1 s−1) are: furan (1.50 ± 0.23) × 10−12, 2-methylfuran (2.37 ± 0.55) × 10−11, 2,5-dimethylfuran (1.10 ± 0.33) × 10−10, furan-2-aldehyde (9.28 ± 2.3) × 10−14, 5-methyl-2(3H)-furanone (3.00 ± 0.45) × 10−12, 2(5H)-furanone < 1.410−16, and pyrrole (7.35 ± 2.06) × 10−11. The furan-2-aldehyde + NO3 reaction rate is found to be an order of magnitude lower than previously reported. We also recommend a faster rate for the α-terpinene+NO3 reaction ((2.70 ± 0.81) × 10−10 cm3 s−1). These experiments show that for furan, alkyl substituted furans, 5-methyl-2(3H)-furanone, and pyrrole, reaction with NO3 will be the dominant removal process at night, and may also contribute during the day. For 2(5H)-furanone, reaction with NO3 is not an important atmospheric sink.