Chemical composition of the ATAL aerosol measured by in-situ particle mass spectrometry

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Appel ◽  
Andreas Hünig ◽  
Antonis Dragoneas ◽  
Sergej Molleker ◽  
Frank Drewnick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Laser Ablation ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Particle Diameter ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
Aerosol Mass Spectrometer ◽  
High Particle ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Ionisation Mass Spectrometry

<p>The Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) has been found to be an aerosol layer with exceptionally high particle number concentrations in the UT/LS altitude range. During the StratoClim 2017 field campaign in Nepal we deployed the novel in-situ aerosol mass spectrometer ERICA (ERC Instrument for Chemical composition of Aerosols). It combines the methods of laser ablation mass spectrometry with flash vaporization/electron impact ionisation mass spectrometry in a single instrument to analyse the chemical composition of individual aerosol particles or small particle ensembles in the particle diameter range from 100 nm to 2 µm.</p><p>The quantitative analysis shows a strong contribution of ammonium nitrate (AN) to the ATAL aerosol concentration. In this layer, the AN concentrations can be as high as 1.5 µg per standard cubic meter. We present the vertical distribution of the mass concentrations of AN as well as other contributing species like sulphate and organics.</p><p>The single particle data from the laser ablation module of ERICA show a distinct particle type with nitrate and sulphate ions without the typical components of primary aerosol (soot, dust, metals) within the ATAL, indicating that a significant fraction of the ATAL aerosol consists of secondary particles formed in the upper troposphere.</p>

Measurements of bio-signature in ancient micrometre-sized fossils with a miniature laser mass spectrometer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Tulej ◽  
Rustam Lukmanov ◽  
Andreas Riedo ◽  
Valentine Grimaudo ◽  
Coenraad de Koning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Laser Ablation ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Camera System ◽  
Laser Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Ionisation Mass

<p>Searches for the past and present life on the planetary surfaces will be involving multilevel characterisation of the planetary rocks and soils within potentially habitable environments. Some up to three billion years old stromatolites or fossilised bacterial colonies are particularly interesting. They are found on the Earth and thought to be earliest life forms preserved within the terrestrial sedimentary rocks and can be a benchmark for searches of bio-relevant objects on planetary surfaces. By combining the microscope-camera system and mass analyser one can identify micro-fossilised material within the rocks by means of specific morphological details and characteristic chemical composition. We discuss the results of the studies on ancient microfossils obtained by space-born instrumentation, microscope-camera system combined with laser mass spectrometer. Both, the microscope imaging and chemical analyses can be conducted with micrometre spatial resolution. We demonstrate that the morphological record is helpful but not sufficient to identify bio-relevant material. Yet, while combined with elemental and isotope and with help depth profiling method, the compositional analysis can distinguish between abiotic and biological nature of the material. Detection of biosignature in measurements of fossilised materials with a miniature laser ablation ionisation mass analyser.</p> <p> </p> <p>[1] M. Tulej, A. Neubeck, M. Ivarsson, A. Riedo, M.B. Neuland, S. Meyer, P. Wurz, Chemical Composition of Micrometer-Sized Filaments in an Aragonite Host by a Miniature Laser Ablation/Ionization Mass Spectrometer, Astrobiology, 15 (2015) 669-682.</p> <p>[2] A. Neubeck, M. Tulej, M. Ivarsson, C. Broman, A. Riedo, S. McMahon, P. Wurz, S. Bengtson, Mineralogical determination in situ of a highly heterogeneous material using a miniaturized laser ablation mass spectrometer with high spatial resolution, International Journal of Astrobiology, 15 (2016) 133-146.</p> <p>[3] R. Wiesendanger, D. Wacey, M. Tulej, A. Neubeck, M. Ivarsson, V. Grimaudo, P. Moreno-Garcia, A. Cedeno-Lopez, A. Riedo, P. Wurz, Chemical and optical identification of micrometer-sized 1.9 billion-year-old fossils by combining a miniature laser ablation ionization mass spectrometry system with an optical microscope, Astrobiology, 18 (2018) 1071-1080.</p> <p>[4] A. Riedo, A. Bieler, M. Neuland, M. Tulej, P. Wurz, Performance evaluation of a miniature laser ablation time-of-flight mass spectrometer designed for in situ investigations in planetary space research, Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 48 (2013) 1-15.</p> <p>[5] M. Tulej, A. Riedo, M.B. Neuland, S. Meyer, P. Wurz, N. Thomas, V. Grimaudo, P. Moreno-Garcia, P. Broekmann, A. Neubeck, M. Ivarsson, CAMAM: A Miniature Laser Ablation Ionisation Mass Spectrometer and Microscope-Camera System for In Situ Investigation of the Composition and Morphology of Extraterrestrial Materials, Geostand Geoanal Res, 38 (2014) 441-466.</p>

Laser ablation single particle aerosol mass spectrometry for the direct analysis of raw coal samples

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1158-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Zhu ◽  
Mei Liu ◽  
Teng Guo ◽  
Li Xu ◽  
Junguo Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Laser Ablation ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Single Particle ◽  
Direct Analysis ◽  
Online Measurement ◽  
Solid Materials ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Aerosol Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Individual Particles

LA-SPAMS was developed for online measurement of the size and chemical composition of individual particles ablated from solid materials.

scholarly journals Design, characterization, and first field deployment of a novel aircraft-based aerosol mass spectrometer combining the laser ablation and flash vaporization techniques

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hünig ◽  
Oliver Appel ◽  
Antonis Dragoneas ◽  
Sergej Molleker ◽  
Hans-Christian Clemen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Ablation ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Impact Ionization ◽  
Time Of Flight ◽  
Single Particles ◽  
Aerosol Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Field Deployment ◽  
Tof Ms

Abstract. In this paper, we present the design, development, and characteristics of the novel aerosol mass spectrometer ERICA (ERC Instrument for Chemical composition of Aerosols) and selected results from the first aircraft-borne field deployment. The instrument combines two well-established methods of real-time in-situ measurements of fine particle chemical composition. The first method is the single particle laser ablation technique (here with a frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser at λ = 266 nm). The other method is a combination of flash vaporization and electron impact ionization (like the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer). The aerosol sample can be analyzed with both methods, each using time-of-flight mass spectrometry. By means of the laser ablation, single particles are qualitatively analyzed (including the refractory components) while the flash vaporization and electron impact ionization technique provides quantitative information on the non-refractory components (i.e., particulate sulfate, nitrate, ammonia, organics, and chloride) of small particle ensembles. These techniques are implemented in two consecutive instrument stages within a common sample inlet and a common vacuum chamber. At its front end, the sample air containing the aerosol particles is continuously injected via an aerodynamic lens (ADL). All particles which are not ablated by the Nd:YAG laser in the first instrument stage continue their flight until they reach the second instrument stage and impact on the vaporizer surface (operated at 600 °C). The ERICA is capable of detecting single particles with vacuum aerodynamic diameters (dva) between ~ 180 nm and 3170 nm (d50 cut-off). The chemical characterization of single particles is achieved by recording cations and anions with a bipolar time-of-flight mass spectrometer (B-ToF-MS). For the measurement of non-refractory components, the particle size range extends from approximately 120 nm to 3.5 µm (d50 cut-off; dva), and the cations are detected with a C-ToF-MS (compact time-of-flight mass spectrometer). The compact dimensions of the instrument are such that the ERICA can be deployed on aircraft, ground stations, or mobile laboratories . During its first deployments the instrument operated fully automated during 11 research flights on the Russian high-altitude research aircraft M-55 Geophysica from ground pressure and temperature up to 20 km altitude at 55 hPa and ambient temperatures as low as −86 °C.

scholarly journals In situ characterisation of phytohormones from wounded Arabidopsis leaves using desorption electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry imaging

The Analyst ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Asta Žukauskaitė ◽  
Ivan Petřík ◽  
Aleš Pěnčík ◽  
Martin Hönig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Plant Development ◽  
Plant Hormones ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Imaging ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Ionisation Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Endogenous Regulators ◽  
Ionisation Mass

Phytohormones (plant hormones) are a group of small signalling molecules that act as important endogenous regulators in the plant development and stress responses. Previous research has identified phytohormone species, jasmonates,...

scholarly journals Correction to “Quantitative sampling using an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer: 2. Measurements of fine particulate chemical composition in two U.K. cities,”

2003 ◽  
Vol 108 (D9) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Allan ◽  
M. Rami Alfarra ◽  
Keith N. Bower ◽  
Paul I. Williams ◽  
Martin W. Gallagher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Aerosol Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Quantitative Sampling ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Fine Particulate

scholarly journals Towards a better understanding of the origins, chemical composition and aging of oxygenated organic aerosols: case study of a Mediterranean industrialized environment, Marseille

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 7875-7894 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. El Haddad ◽  
B. D'Anna ◽  
B. Temime-Roussel ◽  
M. Nicolas ◽  
A. Boreave ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosols ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Aerosol Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Statistical Confidence ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Organic Markers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

Abstract. As part of the FORMES summer 2008 experiment, an Aerodyne compact time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (cToF-AMS) was deployed at an urban background site in Marseille to investigate the sources and aging of organic aerosols (OA). France's second largest city and the largest port in the Mediterranean, Marseille, provides a locale that is influenced by significant urban industrialized emissions and an active photochemistry with very high ozone concentrations. Particle mass spectra were analyzed by positive matrix factorization (PMF2) and the results were in very good agreement with previous apportionments obtained using a chemical mass balance (CMB) approach coupled to organic markers and metals (El Haddad et al., 2011a). AMS/PMF2 was able to identify for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the organic aerosol emitted by industrial processes. Even with significant industries in the region, industrial OA was estimated to contribute only ~ 5% of the total OA mass. Both source apportionment techniques suggest that oxygenated OA (OOA) constitutes the major fraction, contributing ~ 80% of OA mass. A novel approach combining AMS/PMF2 data with 14C measurements was applied to identify and quantify the fossil and non-fossil precursors of this fraction and to explicitly assess the related uncertainties. Results show with high statistical confidence that, despite extensive urban and industrial emissions, OOA is overwhelmingly non-fossil, formed via the oxidation of biogenic precursors, including monoterpenes. AMS/PMF2 results strongly suggest that the variability observed in the OOA chemical composition is mainly driven in our case by the aerosol photochemical age. This paper presents the impact of photochemistry on the increase of OOA oxygenation levels, formation of humic-like substances (HULIS) and the evolution of α-pinene SOA (secondary OA) components.

scholarly journals Relationship between the Optical Properties and Chemical Composition of Urban Aerosol Particles in Lithuania

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julija Pauraite ◽  
Kristina Plauškaitė ◽  
Vadimas Dudoitis ◽  
Vidmantas Ulevicius
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Spectra Analysis ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
In Situ Investigation

In situ investigation results of aerosol optical properties (absorption and scattering) and chemical composition at an urban background site in Lithuania (Vilnius) are presented. Investigation was performed in May-June 2017 using an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM), a 7-wavelength Aethalometer and a 3-wavelength integrating Nephelometer. A positive matrix factorisation (PMF) was used for the organic aerosol mass spectra analysis to characterise the sources of ambient organic aerosol (OA). Five OA factors were identified: hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), biomass-burning OA (BBOA), more and less oxygenated OA (LVOOA and SVOOA, respectively), and local hydrocarbon-like OA (LOA). The average absorption (at 470 nm) and scattering (at 450 nm) coefficients during the entire measurement campaign were 16.59 Mm−1 (standard deviation (SD) = 17.23 Mm−1) and 29.83 Mm−1 (SD = 20.45 Mm−1), respectively. Furthermore, the absorption and scattering Angström exponents (AAE and SAE, respectively) and single-scattering albedo (SSA) were calculated. The average AAE value at 470/660 nm was 0.97 (SD = 0.16) indicating traffic-related black carbon (BCtr) dominance. The average value of SAE (at 450/700 nm) was 1.93 (SD = 0.32) and could be determined by the submicron particle (PM1) dominance versus the supermicron ones (PM > 1 µm). The average value of SSA was 0.62 (SD = 0.13). Several aerosol types showed specific segregation in the SAE versus SSA plot, which underlines different optical properties due to various chemical compositions.

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