scholarly journals A product study of the isoprene+NO<sub>3</sub> reaction

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5231-5261 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Perring ◽  
A. Wisthaler ◽  
M. Graus ◽  
P. J. Wooldridge ◽  
A. L. Lockwood ◽  
...  

Abstract. Oxidation of isoprene through reaction with NO3 is a significant sink for isoprene that persists after dark. The products of the reaction are multifunctional nitrates. These nitrates constitute a significant NOx sink in the nocturnal boundary layer and they likely play an important role in formation of secondary organic aerosol. Products of the isoprene+NO3 reaction will, in many locations, be abundant enough to affect nighttime radical chemistry and to persist into daytime where they may represent a source of NOx. Product formation in the isoprene+NO3 reaction was studied in a smog chamber at Purdue University. Isoprene nitrates and other hydrocarbon products were observed using Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) and reactive nitrogen products were observed using Thermal Dissociation–Laser Induced Fluorescence (TD-LIF). The organic nitrate yield is found to be 62±6% and the combined yield of MACR+MVK is found to be ~10%. Additional hydrocarbon products, thought to be primarily C4 and C5 carbonyl compounds, were observed by the PTR-MS at various m/z ratios and their yields quantified. These other oxidation products are used as additional constraints on the reaction mechanism.

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (14) ◽  
pp. 4945-4956 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Perring ◽  
A. Wisthaler ◽  
M. Graus ◽  
P. J. Wooldridge ◽  
A. L. Lockwood ◽  
...  

Abstract. Oxidation of isoprene through reaction with NO3 radicals is a significant sink for isoprene that persists after dark. The main products of the reaction are multifunctional nitrates. These nitrates constitute a significant NOx sink in the nocturnal boundary layer and they likely play an important role in formation of secondary organic aerosol. Products of the isoprene+NO3 reaction will, in many locations, be abundant enough to affect nighttime radical chemistry and to persist into daytime where they may represent a source of NOx. Product formation in the isoprene + NO3 reaction was studied in a smog chamber at Purdue University. Isoprene nitrates and other hydrocarbon products were observed using Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) and reactive nitrogen products were observed using Thermal Dissociation–Laser Induced Fluorescence (TD-LIF). The organic nitrate yield is found to be 65±12% of which the majority was nitrooxy carbonyls and the combined yield of methacrolein and methyl vinyl ketone (MACR+MVK) is found to be ∼10%. PTR-MS measurements of nitrooxy carbonyls and TD-LIF measurements of total organic nitrates agreed well. The PTR-MS also observed a series of minor oxidation products which were tentatively identified and their yields quantified These other oxidation products are used as additional constraints on the reaction mechanism.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 11551-11571 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Ortega ◽  
D. A. Day ◽  
M. J. Cubison ◽  
W. H. Brune ◽  
D. Bon ◽  
...  

Abstract. We report the physical and chemical effects of photochemically aging dilute biomass-burning smoke. A "potential aerosol mass" (PAM) flow reactor was used with analysis by a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer and a proton-transfer-reaction ion-trap mass spectrometer during the FLAME-3 campaign. Hydroxyl (OH) radical concentrations in the reactor reached up to ~1000 times average tropospheric levels, producing effective OH exposures equivalent to up to 5 days of aging in the atmosphere, and allowing for us to extend the investigation of smoke aging beyond the oxidation levels achieved in traditional smog chambers. Volatile organic compound (VOC) observations show aromatics and terpenes decrease with aging, while formic acid and other unidentified oxidation products increase. Unidentified gas-phase oxidation products, previously observed in atmospheric and laboratory measurements, were observed here, including evidence of multiple generations of photochemistry. Substantial new organic aerosol (OA) mass ("net SOA"; secondary OA) was observed from aging biomass-burning smoke, resulting in total OA average of 1.42 ± 0.36 times the initial primary OA (POA) after oxidation. This study confirms that the net-SOA-to-POA ratio of biomass-burning smoke is far lower on average than that observed for urban emissions. Although most fuels were very reproducible, significant differences were observed among the biomasses, with some fuels resulting in a doubling of the OA mass, while for others a very small increase or even a decrease was observed. Net SOA formation in the photochemical reactor increased with OH exposure (OHexp), typically peaking around three days of equivalent atmospheric photochemical age (OHexp~3.9 × 1011 molecules cm−3 s), then leveling off at higher exposures. The amount of additional OA mass added from aging is positively correlated with initial POA concentration, but not with the total VOC concentration or the concentration of known SOA precursors. The mass of SOA formed often exceeded the mass of the known VOC precursors, indicating the likely importance of primary semivolatile/intermediate volatility species, and possibly of unidentified VOCs as SOA precursors in biomass burning smoke. Chemical transformations continued even after mass concentration stabilized. Changes in the biomass-burning tracer f60 ranged from substantially decreasing to remaining constant with increased aging. With increased OHexp, oxidation was always detected (as indicated by f44 and O/C). POA O/C ranged from 0.15 to 0.5, while aged OA O/C reached up to 0.87. The rate of oxidation and maximum O/C achieved differs for each biomass, and appears to increase with the initial O/C of the POA.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuemei Han ◽  
Craig A. Stroud ◽  
John Liggo ◽  
Shao-Meng Li

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from OH-initiated photooxidation of α-pinene has been investigated in a photochemical reaction chamber under varied particle acidity levels. The effect of particle acidity on SOA yield and chemical composition was examined under high- and low-NOx conditions. The SOA yield (4.0 %–7.3 %) increased nearly linearly with the increase in particle acidity under high-NOx conditions. In contrast, the SOA yield (27.9 %–35.6 %) was substantially higher under low-NOx conditions, but its dependency on particle acidity was insignificant. A relatively strong increase in SOA yield (up to 220 %) was observed in the first hour of α-pinene photooxidation under high-NOx conditions, suggesting that SOA formation was more effective for early α-pinene oxidation products in the presence of fresh acidic particles. The SOA yield decreased gradually with the increase in organic mass under high-NOx conditions, which is likely due to the inaccessibility of the acidity over time with the coating of α-pinene SOA. The formation of later-generation SOA was enhanced by particle acidity even under low-NOx conditions when introducing acidic seed particles after α-pinene photooxidation. The fraction of oxygen-containing organic fragments (CxHyO1+ 33–35 % and CxHyO2+ 16–17 %) in the total organics and the O/C ratio (0.49–0.54) of α-pinene SOA were lower under high-NOx conditions than those under low-NOx conditions (39–40 %, 17–19 %, and 0.60–0.62), suggesting that α-pinene SOA was less oxygenated in the studied high-NOx conditions. The fraction of nitrogen-containing organic fragments (CxHyNz+ and CxHyOzNp+) in the total organics was enhanced with the increases in particle acidity under high-NOx conditions, indicating that organic nitrates may be formed heterogeneously through a mechanism catalyzed by particle acidity. The results of this study suggest that inorganic acidity have a significant role to play in determining various organic aerosol chemical properties such as oxidation state, mass yields and organic nitrate content. It is also an important parameter in the modeling of SOA, which is further dependent on the time scale of SOA formation. Additional research is required to understand the complex physical and chemical interactions facilitated by aerosol acidity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 14979-15001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Schulz ◽  
Johannes Schneider ◽  
Bruna Amorim Holanda ◽  
Oliver Appel ◽  
Anja Costa ◽  
...  

Abstract. During the ACRIDICON-CHUVA field project (September–October 2014; based in Manaus, Brazil) aircraft-based in situ measurements of aerosol chemical composition were conducted in the tropical troposphere over the Amazon using the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO), covering altitudes from the boundary layer (BL) height up to 14.4 km. The submicron non-refractory aerosol was characterized by flash-vaporization/electron impact-ionization aerosol particle mass spectrometry. The results show that significant secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation by isoprene oxidation products occurs in the upper troposphere (UT), leading to increased organic aerosol mass concentrations above 10 km altitude. The median organic mass concentrations in the UT above 10 km range between 1.0 and 2.5 µg m−3 (referring to standard temperature and pressure; STP) with interquartile ranges of 0.6 to 3.2 µg m−3 (STP), representing 78 % of the total submicron non-refractory aerosol particle mass. The presence of isoprene-epoxydiol-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) was confirmed by marker peaks in the mass spectra. We estimate the contribution of IEPOX-SOA to the total organic aerosol in the UT to be about 20 %. After isoprene emission from vegetation, oxidation processes occur at low altitudes and/or during transport to higher altitudes, which may lead to the formation of IEPOX (one oxidation product of isoprene). Reactive uptake or condensation of IEPOX on preexisting particles leads to IEPOX-SOA formation and subsequently increasing organic mass in the UT. This organic mass increase was accompanied by an increase in the nitrate mass concentrations, most likely due to NOx production by lightning. Analysis of the ion ratio of NO+ to NO2+ indicated that nitrate in the UT exists mainly in the form of organic nitrate. IEPOX-SOA and organic nitrates are coincident with each other, indicating that IEPOX-SOA forms in the UT either on acidic nitrate particles forming organic nitrates derived from IEPOX or on already neutralized organic nitrate aerosol particles.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 13929-13944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuemei Han ◽  
Craig A. Stroud ◽  
John Liggio ◽  
Shao-Meng Li

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from photooxidation of α-pinene has been investigated in a photochemical reaction chamber under varied inorganic seed particle acidity levels at moderate relative humidity. The effect of particle acidity on SOA yield and chemical composition was examined under high- and low-NOx conditions. The SOA yield (4.2–7.6 %) increased nearly linearly with the increase in particle acidity under high-NOx conditions. In contrast, the SOA yield (28.6–36.3 %) was substantially higher under low-NOx conditions, but its dependency on particle acidity was insignificant. A relatively strong increase in SOA yield (up to 220 %) was observed in the first hour of α-pinene photooxidation under high-NOx conditions, suggesting that SOA formation was more effective for early α-pinene oxidation products in the presence of fresh acidic particles. The SOA yield decreased gradually with the increase in organic mass in the initial stage (approximately 0–1 h) under high-NOx conditions, which is likely due to the inaccessibility to the acidity over time with the coating of α-pinene SOA, assuming a slow particle-phase diffusion of organic molecules into the inorganic seeds. The formation of later-generation SOA was enhanced by particle acidity even under low-NOx conditions when introducing acidic seed particles after α-pinene photooxidation, suggesting a different acidity effect exists for α-pinene SOA derived from later oxidation stages. This effect could be important in the atmosphere under conditions where α-pinene oxidation products in the gas-phase originating in forested areas (with low NOx and SOx) are transported to regions abundant in acidic aerosols such as power plant plumes or urban regions. The fraction of oxygen-containing organic fragments (CxHyO1+ 33–35 % and CxHyO2+ 16–17 %) in the total organics and the O ∕ C ratio (0.52–0.56) of α-pinene SOA were lower under high-NOx conditions than those under low-NOx conditions (39–40, 17–19, and 0.61–0.64 %), suggesting that α-pinene SOA was less oxygenated in the studied high-NOx conditions. The fraction of nitrogen-containing organic fragments (CxHyNz+ and CxHyOzNp+) in the total organics was enhanced with the increases in particle acidity under high-NOx conditions, indicating that organic nitrates may be formed heterogeneously through a mechanism catalyzed by particle acidity or that acidic conditions facilitate the partitioning of gas-phase organic nitrates into particle phase. The results of this study suggest that inorganic acidity has a significant role to play in determining various organic aerosol chemical properties such as mass yields, oxidation state, and organic nitrate content. The acidity effect being further dependent on the timescale of SOA formation is also an important parameter in the modeling of SOA.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mounir Chrit ◽  
Karine Sartelet ◽  
Jean Sciare ◽  
Jorge Pey ◽  
Nicolas Marchand ◽  
...  

Abstract. In the framework of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment, a measurement site was set up at a remote site (Ersa) on Corsica Island in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Measurement campaigns performed during the summers of 2012 and 2013 showed high organic aerosol concentrations, mostly from biogenic origin. This work aims at representing the organic aerosol concentrations and properties (oxidation state and hydrophilic) using the air-quality model Polyphemus with a surrogate approach for secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. Biogenic precursors are isoprene, monoterpenes (with α-pinene and limonene as surrogate species) and sesquiterpenes. In this work, the following model oxidation products of monoterpenes are added: (i) a carboxylic acid (MBTCA) to represent multi-generation oxidation products in the low-NOx regime, (ii) organic nitrate chemistry, (iii) extremely low volatility organic compounds (ELVOCs) formed by ozonolysis. The model shows good agreement to measurements of organic concentrations for both 2012 and 2013 summer campaigns. The modeled oxidation state and hydrophilic properties of the organic aerosols also agree reasonably well with the measurements. The influence of the different chemical processes added to the model on the oxidation level of organics is studied. Measured and simulated water-soluble organic concentrations (WSOC) show that even at a remote site next to the sea, about 64 % of the organic carbon is soluble. The concentrations of WSOC vary with the origins of the air masses and the composition of organic aerosols. The marine organic emissions only contribute to a few percents of the organic mass in PM1, with maxima above the sea.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 7041-7056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn Freney ◽  
Karine Sellegri ◽  
Mounir Chrit ◽  
Kouji Adachi ◽  
Joel Brito ◽  
...  

Abstract. As part of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx), a series of aerosol and gas-phase measurements were deployed aboard the SAFIRE ATR42 research aircraft in summer 2014. The present study focuses on the four flights performed in late June early July over two forested regions in the south of France. We combine in situ observations and model simulations to aid in the understanding of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation over these forested areas in the Mediterranean and to highlight the role of different gas-phase precursors. The non-refractory particulate species measured by a compact aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (cToF-AMS) were dominated by organics (60 to 72 %) followed by a combined contribution of 25 % by ammonia and sulfate aerosols. The contribution from nitrate and black carbon (BC) particles was less than 5 % of the total PM1 mass concentration. Measurements of non-refractory species from off-line transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that particles have different mixing states and that large fractions (35 %) of the measured particles were organic aerosol containing C, O, and S but without inclusions of crystalline sulfate particles. The organic aerosol measured using the cToF-AMS contained only evidence of oxidized organic aerosol (OOA), without a contribution of fresh primary organic aerosol. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) on the combined organic–inorganic matrices separated the oxidized organic aerosol into a more-oxidized organic aerosol (MOOA), and a less-oxidized organic aerosol (LOOA). The MOOA component is associated with inorganic species and had higher contributions of m∕z 44 than the LOOA factor. The LOOA factor is not associated with inorganic species and correlates well with biogenic volatile organic species measured with a proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer, such as isoprene and its oxidation products (methyl vinyl ketone, MVK; methacroleine, MACR; and isoprene hydroxyhydroperoxides, ISOPOOH). Despite a significantly high mixing ratio of isoprene (0.4 to 1.2 ppbV) and its oxidation products (0.2 and 0.8 ppbV), the contribution of specific signatures for isoprene epoxydiols SOA (IEPOX-SOA) within the aerosol organic mass spectrum (m∕z 53 and m∕z 82) were very weak, suggesting that the presence of isoprene-derived SOA was either too low to be detected by the cToF-AMS, or that SOA was not formed through IEPOX. This was corroborated through simulations performed with the Polyphemus model showing that although 60 to 80 % of SOA originated from biogenic precursors, only about 15 to 32 % was related to isoprene (non-IEPOX) SOA; the remainder was 10 % sesquiterpene SOA and 35 to 40 % monoterpene SOA. The model results show that despite the zone of sampling being far from industrial or urban sources, a total contribution of 20 to 34 % of the SOA was attributed to purely anthropogenic precursors (aromatics and intermediate or semi-volatile compounds). The measurements obtained during this study allow us to evaluate how biogenic emissions contribute to increasing SOA concentrations over Mediterranean forested areas. Directly comparing these measurements with the Polyphemus model provides insight into the SOA formation pathways that are prevailing in these forested areas as well as processes that need to be implemented in future simulations.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 6845-6874
Author(s):  
S. X. Ma ◽  
J. D. Rindelaub ◽  
K. M. McAvey ◽  
P. D. Gagare ◽  
B. A. Nault ◽  
...  

Abstract. The biogenic volatile organic compound α-pinene is one of the dominant monoterpenes emitted to the Earth's atmosphere at an estimated rate of ~50 Tg yr−1. Its atmospheric oxidation products in the presence of NO can lead to ozone production, as well as production of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The major oxidation pathway of α-pinene is reaction with OH, which in the presence of NO can form either α-pinene nitrates or convert NO to NO2, which can photolyze to form ozone. In this work, we successfully synthesized four α-pinene hydroxy nitrates through three different routes, and have identified the 4 individual isomers in α-pinene/OH/NO reaction chamber experiments. From the experiments, we determined their individual production yields, estimated the total RONO2 yield, and calculated the relative branching ratios of the nitrate precursor peroxy radicals (RO2). The combined yield of the four α-pinene nitrates was found to be 13.0 (±0.7) % at atmospheric pressure and 296 K, and the total organic nitrate yield was estimated to be 0.19 (+0.10/−0.06). We also determined the OH rate constants for two of the isomers, and have calculated their overall atmospheric lifetimes, which range between 22 and 38 h.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 6337-6347 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. X. Ma ◽  
J. D. Rindelaub ◽  
K. M. McAvey ◽  
P. D. Gagare ◽  
B. A. Nault ◽  
...  

Abstract. The biogenic volatile organic compound α-pinene is one of the dominant monoterpenes emitted to the Earth's atmosphere at an estimated rate of ~50 Tg C yr−1. Its atmospheric oxidation products in the presence of NO can lead to ozone production, as well as production of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The major oxidation pathway of α-pinene is reaction with OH, which in the presence of NO can form either α-pinene nitrates or convert NO to NO2, which can photolyze to form ozone. In this work, we successfully synthesized four α-pinene hydroxy nitrates through three different routes, and have identified these 4 individual isomers in α-pinene/OH/NO reaction chamber experiments. From the experiments, we determined their individual production yields, estimated the total RONO2 yield, and calculated the relative branching ratios of the nitrate precursor peroxy radicals (RO2). The combined yield of the four α-pinene nitrates was found to be 0.130 (±0.035) at atmospheric pressure and 296 K, and the total organic nitrate yield was estimated to be 0.19 (+0.10/−0.06). We also determined the OH rate constants for two of the isomers, and have calculated their overall atmospheric lifetimes, which range between 22 and 38 h.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 10125-10143 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Pratt ◽  
L. H. Mielke ◽  
P. B. Shepson ◽  
A. M. Bryan ◽  
A. L. Steiner ◽  
...  

Abstract. Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) can react in the atmosphere to form organic nitrates, which serve as NOx (NO + NO2) reservoirs, impacting ozone and secondary organic aerosol production, the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, and nitrogen availability to ecosystems. To examine the contributions of biogenic emissions and the formation and fate of organic nitrates in a forest environment, we simulated the oxidation of 57 individual BVOCs emitted from a rural mixed forest in northern Michigan. Key BVOC-oxidant reactions were identified for future laboratory and field investigations into reaction rate constants, yields, and speciation of oxidation products. Of the total simulated organic nitrates, monoterpenes contributed ~70% in the early morning at ~12 m above the forest canopy when isoprene emissions were low. In the afternoon, when vertical mixing and isoprene nitrate production were highest, the simulated contribution of isoprene-derived organic nitrates was greater than 90% at all altitudes, with the concentration of secondary isoprene nitrates increasing with altitude. Notably, reaction of isoprene with NO3 leading to isoprene nitrate formation was found to be significant (~8% of primary organic nitrate production) during the daytime, and monoterpene reactions with NO3 were simulated to comprise up to ~83% of primary organic nitrate production at night. Lastly, forest succession, wherein aspen trees are being replaced by pine and maple trees, was predicted to lead to increased afternoon concentrations of monoterpene-derived organic nitrates. This further underscores the need to understand the formation and fate of these species, which have different chemical pathways and oxidation products compared to isoprene-derived organic nitrates and can lead to secondary organic aerosol formation.


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