Gas and Particle Partitioning Behavior of Aldehyde in the Presence of Diesel Soot and Wood Smoke Aerosols

Abstract

Outdoor smog chamber experiments were performed to investigate gas/particle (G/P) partitioning behavior of aldehyde compounds in atmospheric acidic aerosols. Diesel soot and wood smoke aerosols were selected as acidic aerosols and octanal, decanal, undecanal, and cis-pinonaldehyde for aldehydes compounds. Aerosol acidity was measured with the equivalent sulfuric acid amounts in aerosol mass: 0.2–0.6 wt% in diesel soot and 0.04–0.1 wt% in wood smoke aerosols. Experimentally determined partitioning coefficients of aldehyde along with other classes of semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) were compared with the estimation. All experimental G/P partitioning coefficients of aldehyde compounds were 10–200 times higher than estimated partitioning coefficients. Aldehyde partitioning coefficients in wood soot were similar or less than diesel soot aerosols.