Reply on RC1

Abstract

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are subject to an intense emission by forests and crops into the atmosphere. They can rapidly react with the nitrate radical (NO3) during nighttime to form number of functionalized products. Among them, organic nitrates (ON) have been shown to behave as reservoirs of reactive nitrogen and consequently influence the ozone budget and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) which are known to have a direct and indirect effect on the radiative balance, and thus on climate. Nevertheless, BVOCs + NO3 reactions remain poorly understood. Thus, the primary purpose of the follow-up study is to furnish new kinetic and mechanistic data for one monoterpenes (C10H16), terpinolene, and one sesquiterpene (C15H24), β-caryophyllene, using simulation chamber experiments. These two compounds have been chosen in order to fill the lack of experimental data. Rate constants have been measured using both relative and absolute methods. They have been measured to be (5.5 ± 3.8) × 10−11 and (1.7 ± 1.4) × 10−11 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 for terpinolene and β-caryophyllene respectively. Mechanistic studies have also been conducted in order to identify and quantify the main reaction products. Total organic nitrates and SOA yields have been determined. Both terpenes appear to be major ON precursors both in gas and particle phase with formation yields of 69 % for terpinolene and 79 % for β-caryophyllene respectively. They also are major SOA precursor, with maximum SOA yields of around 60 % for both of the compounds. In order to support these observations, chemical analyses of the gas phase products were performed at the molecular scale using PTR-TOF-MS and FTIR. Detected products allowed proposing chemical mechanisms and providing explanations through peroxy and alkoxy reaction pathways.