Abstract
Abstract. Isoprene is the most important biogenic volatile organic compound in the atmosphere. Its calculated impact on ozone (O3) is critically dependent on the model isoprene oxidation chemical scheme, in particular the way the isoprene-derived organic nitrates (IN) are treated. By combining gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, we have developed a system capable of separating and unambiguously measuring individual IN isomers. In this paper we use measurements from its first field deployment, which took place in Beijing as part of the Atmospheric Pollution and Human Health in a Chinese Megacity programme, to test understanding of the isoprene chemistry as simulated in the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) (v.3.3.1). Seven individual isoprene nitrates were identified and quantified during the campaign: two β-hydroxy nitrates (IHN), four δ-carbonyl nitrates (ICN), and propanone nitrate. Our measurements show that in the summertime conditions experienced in Beijing the ratio of (1-OH, 2-ONO2)-IHN to (4-OH, 3-ONO2)-IHN (the numbers indicate the carbon atom in the isoprene chain to which the radical is added) increases at NO mixing ratios below 2 ppb. This provides observational field evidence of the redistribution of the peroxy radicals derived from OH oxidation of isoprene away from the kinetic ratio towards a new thermodynamic equilibrium consistent with box model calculations. The observed amounts of δ-ICN demonstrate the importance of daytime addition of NO3 to isoprene in Beijing but suggest that the predominant source of the δ-ICN in the model (reaction of NO with δ-nitrooxy peroxy radicals) may be too large. Our speciated measurements of the four δ-ICN exhibit a mean C1 : C4 isomer ratio of 1.4 and a mean trans : cis isomer ratio of 7 and provide insight into the isomeric distribution of the δ-nitrooxy peroxy radicals. Together our measurements and model results indicate that propanone nitrate was formed from the OH oxidation of δ-ICN both during the day and night, as well as from NO3 addition to propene at night. This study demonstrates the value of speciated IN measurements in testing understanding of the isoprene degradation chemistry and shows how more extensive measurements would provide greater constraints. It highlights areas of the isoprene chemistry that warrant further study, in particular the impact of NO on the formation of the IHN and the NO3-initiated isoprene degradation chemistry, as well as the need for further laboratory studies on the formation and the losses of IN, in particular via photolysis of δ-ICN and hydrolysis.
Highlights
Isoprene is the most important biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) in the atmosphere, with its emissions accounting for around 500 Tg yr−1, about half of the global biogenic non-methane VOC emissions (Guenther et al, 2012)
The observed β-isoprene hydroxy nitrate (IHN) exhibit diel patterns that are broadly in agreement with those modelled and consistent with daytime formation from oxidised by the hydroxyl (OH) oxidation of isoprene and a shift in competition from the reactions of isoprene-derived peroxy radicals (ISOPOO) with nitric oxide (NO) to reaction with HO2 as mixing ratios of NO decline from an early morning peak (Fig. S5) and those of the peroxy radicals maximise in the mid-afternoon (Whalley et al, 2021)
The observed β-IHN peak around midday, and these levels are mostly maintained until around sunset when they decline to reach minimum values just after sunrise. This pattern is broadly similar to that of total IHN observed during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) (Xiong et al, 2015)
Summary
Isoprene is the most important biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) in the atmosphere, with its emissions accounting for around 500 Tg yr−1, about half of the global biogenic non-methane VOC emissions (Guenther et al, 2012). On oxidation by OH, peroxy radicals are formed, which when they react with nitric oxide (NO) can lead to the formation of hydroxy nitrates (IHN). Depending on the fate of the peroxy radicals formed following NO3 addition, a variety of IN can be produced: isoprene hydroperoxy nitrates (IPN), isoprene dinitrates (IDN), isoprene carbonyl nitrates (ICN), and IHN. We examine how the ratios of the IHN, primarily the β-IHN, can provide insight into the peroxy radicals (ISOPOO) derived from the OH oxidation of isoprene and in particular their relationship with NO (left-hand side of Fig. 1a), and we use data on ICN, IHN, and propanone nitrate to provide insight into the chemistry of the δ-nitrooxy peroxy radicals (INO2) formed from NO3 addition to isoprene and the (right-hand side of Fig. 1a)
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