Α-pinene Ozonolysis Research Articles

Correction to Enhanced Gas Uptake during α-Pinene Ozonolysis Points to a Burying Mechanism

Correction to Enhanced Gas Uptake during α-Pinene Ozonolysis Points to a Burying Mechanism

Analytical optical methods for measuring organic peroxides and hydroperoxides: An evaluation

Hydrogen peroxide, organic peroxides and hydroperoxides exhibit high reactivity and play a pivotal role in atmospheric chemistry. These compounds are formed during the oxidation of volatile organic compounds in both gaseous and aqueous phases, particularly under low NOx conditions. Their significant contribution to the mass of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) is well-documented, and they are believed to have significant health implications. Several spectrophotometric methods have been employed to measure SOA-bound peroxides in laboratory samples, but systematic comparisons are lacking. In this study, we have assessed the advantages and limitations of these methods, including the traditional and microwave-assisted iodometric methods, the 4-nitrophenyl boronic acid assay (NPBA), and the Fenton reaction-assisted ferrous-xylenol (FOX2) assay. Besides, a comprehensive evaluation of these methodologies was conducted for the first time across a substantial cohort of commercial peroxides and hydroperoxides, employing diverse solvents (namely, water, 1-propanol, acetonitrile, methanol and chloroform) to provide broader insights compared to previous work. Ultimately, the four methods were applied and compared for peroxide determination in laboratory-generated SOA resulting from gas-phase ozonolysis of α-pinene. This study opens new opportunities for future mechanistic investigation into SOA formation and reactivity.

Iron-Containing Seed Particles Enhance α-Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol Mass Concentration and Dimer Formation.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) comprises the majority of submicron particles and is important for air pollution, health, and climate. When SOA mixes with inorganic particles containing transition metals (e.g., Fe), chemical reactions altering physicochemical properties can occur. Here, we study Fe's impact on the formation and chemical composition of SOA formed via dark α-pinene ozonolysis on either (NH4)2SO4 or Fe-containing (NH4)2SO4 seed particles and aged at varying relative humidities (RHs). Aerosol composition was determined using online extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, providing high-resolution chemical and temporal identification of monomers and dimers in the SOA. At high RH, Fe's presence resulted in higher particulate SOA mass concentrations (117 ± 14 μg m-3) than those formed in its absence (70 ± 1 μg m-3). Enhanced mass is coupled with more dimers (C15-20's), attributed to Fenton-driven oligomerization reactions. Experiments with Fe3+-containing seeds showed similar chemical composition and enhanced SOA mass, suggesting a dark reduction pathway to form Fe2+ in the presence of SOA. Overall, Fe's presence at high RH lowers SOA volatility and enhances particulate organic mass and condensed phased reactions of higher volatility species that would normally not participate in SOA formation, which may be important when considering its formation in air quality and climate models.

Volatility Basis Set Distributions and Viscosity of Organic Aerosol Mixtures: Insights from Chemical Characterization Using Temperature-Programmed Desorption-Direct Analysis in Real-Time High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Quantitative assessment of gas-particle partitioning of individual components within complex atmospheric organic aerosol (OA) mixtures is critical for predicting and comprehending the formation and evolution of OA particles in the atmosphere. This investigation leverages previously documented data obtained through a temperature-programmed desorption-direct analysis in real-time, high-resolution mass spectrometry (TPD-DART-HRMS) platform. This methodology facilitates the bottom-up construction of volatility basis set (VBS) distributions for constituents found in three biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mixtures produced through the ozonolysis of α-pinene, limonene, and ocimene. The apparent enthalpies (ΔH*, kJ mol-1) and saturation mass concentrations (CT*, μg·m-3) of individual SOA components, determined as a function of temperature (T, K), facilitated an assessment of changes in VBS distributions and gas-particle partitioning with respect to T and atmospheric total organic mass loadings (tOM, μg·m-3). The VBS distributions reveal distinct differences in volatilities among monomers, dimers, and trimers, categorized into separate volatility bins. At the ambient temperature of T = 298 K, only monomers efficiently partition between gas and particle phases across a broad range of atmospherically relevant tOM values of 1-100 μg·m-3. Partitioning of dimers and trimers becomes notable only at T > 360 K and T > 420 K, respectively. The viscosity of SOA mixtures is assessed using a bottom-up calculation approach, incorporating the input of elemental formulas, ΔH*, CT*, and particle-phase mass fractions of the SOA components. Through this approach, we are able to accurately estimate the variations in SOA viscosity that result from the evaporation of its components. These variations are, in turn, influenced by atmospherically relevant changes in tOM and T. Comparison of the calculated SOA viscosity and diffusivity values with literature reported experimental results shows close agreement, thereby validating the employed calculation approach. These findings underscore the significant potential for TPD-DART-HRMS measurements in enabling the untargeted analysis of organic molecules within OA mixtures. This approach facilitates quantitative assessment of their gas-particle partitioning and allows for the estimation of their viscosity and condensed-phase diffusion, thereby contributing valuable insights to atmospheric models.

Extending the Range of Detectable Trace Species with the Fast Polarity Switching of Chemical Ionization Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry.

Chemical ionization (CI) atmospheric pressure interface mass spectrometry is a unique analytical technique for its low detection limits, softness to preserve molecular information, and selectivity for particular classes of species. Here, we present a fast polarity switching approach for highly sensitive online analysis of a wide range of trace species in complex samples using selective CI chemistries and high-resolution mass spectrometry. It is achieved by successfully coupling a multischeme chemical ionization inlet (MION) and an Orbitrap Fourier transform mass spectrometer. The capability to flexibly combine ionization chemistries from both polarities effectively extends the detectability compared to using only one ionization chemistry, as commonly used positive and negative reagent ions tend to be sensitive to different classes of species. We tested the performance of the MION-Orbitrap using reactive gaseous organic species generated by α-pinene ozonolysis in an environmental chamber and a standard mixture of 71 pesticides. Diethylammonium and nitrate are used as reagent ions in positive and negative polarities. We show that with a mass resolving power of 280,000, the MION-Orbitrap can switch and measure both polarities within 1 min, which is sufficiently fast and stable to follow the temporal evolution of reactive organic species and the thermal desorption profile of pesticides. We detected 23 of the 71 pesticides in the mixture using only nitrate as the reagent ion. Facilitated by polarity switching, we also detected 47 pesticides using diethylammonium, improving the total number of detected species to 59. For reactive organic species generated by α-pinene ozonolysis, we show that combining diethylammonium and nitrate addresses the need to measure oxygenated molecules in atmospheric environments with a wide range of oxidation states. These results indicate that the polarity switching MION-Orbitrap can promisingly serve as a versatile tool for the nontargeted chemical analysis of trace species in various applications.

Impacts of α-pinene ozonolysis products on the morphology and optical properties of black carbon

Black carbon (BC) is known to absorb solar radiation and thus have a warming impact on climate. The atmospheric aging of fresh BC has been suggested to enhance BC's light absorption, but the extent of variation observed varies largely in field and laboratory measurements. Biogenic VOCs with much higher abundance than anthropogenic emissions are reactive towards atmospheric oxidants, and act as major sources of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere. In this study, we performed experiments of BC aging in the presence of condensable organic vapors generated from the ozonolysis of α-pinene. Significant changes in the particle size, mass, effective density, morphology as well as optical properties are observed upon coating of BC by α-pinene ozonolysis products. While the BC aging rate depends on the initial concentrations of precursors forming condensable materials and the particle size, the extent of transformation of BC at a given size is mainly controlled by the volume equivalent coating thickness. The highly fractal BC core is converted to a more compact morphology for a coating thickness of ∼25–30 nm depending on the initial particle size. The absorption and scattering of light by BC also increase by more than 1.29- and 5.30- fold during the coating process. The enhancement of optical properties can be attributed to both formation of coatings and restructuring of the BC core, with the latter accounting for a large fraction of optical enhancement. Our results indicate that the ozonolysis of α-pinene has profound effects on the morphology and optical properties of BC, with a magnitude comparable to sulfuric acid and ammonium nitrate, but much higher than other reported anthropogenic hydrocarbons. Although present in relatively low concentrations, α-pinene oxidation reactions can considerably enhance the impacts of BC on air quality and climate forcing.

Effect of relative humidity on the molecular composition of secondary organic aerosols from α-pinene ozonolysis

Secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) originating from the oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds such as monoterpenes by atmospheric oxidants (e.g. OH, ozone, and NO3), constitute a widespread source of organic aerosols in the atmosphere.

OH Roaming during the Ozonolysis of α-Pinene: A New Route to Highly Oxygenated Molecules?

The formation of low-volatility organic compounds in the ozonolysis of α-pinene, the dominant atmospheric monoterpene, provides an important route to aerosol formation. In this work, we consider a previously unexplored set of pathways for the formation of highly oxygenated molecules in α-pinene ozonolysis. Pioneering, direct experimental observations of Lester and co-workers have demonstrated a significant production of hydroxycarbonyl products in the dissociation of Criegee intermediates. Theoretical analyses indicate that this production arises from OH roaming-induced pathways during the OO fission of the vinylhydroperoxides (VHPs), which in turn come from internal H transfers in the Criegee intermediates. Ab initio kinetics computations are used here to explore the OH roaming-induced channels that arise from the ozonolysis of α-pinene. For computational reasons, the calculations consider a surrogate for α-pinene, where two spectator methyl groups are replaced with H atoms. Multireference electronic structure calculations are used to illustrate a variety of energetically accessible OH roaming pathways for the four VHPs arising from the ozonolysis of this α-pinene surrogate. Ab initio transition-state theory-based master equation calculations indicate that for the dissociation of stabilized VHPs, these OH roaming pathways are kinetically significant with a branching that generally increases from ∼20% at room temperature up to ∼70% at lower temperatures representative of the troposphere. For one of the VHPs, this branching already exceeds 60% at room temperature. For the overall ozonolysis process, these branching ratios would be greatly reduced by a limited branching to the stabilized VHP, although there would also be some modest roaming fraction for the nonthermal VHP dissociation process. The strong exothermicities of the roaming-induced isomerizations/additions and abstractions suggest new routes to fission of the cyclobutane rings. Such ring fissions would facilitate further autoxidation reactions, thereby providing a new route for producing highly oxygenated nonvolatile precursors to aerosol formation.

Particle-phase accretion forms dimer esters in pinene secondary organic aerosol.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is ubiquitous in the atmosphere and plays a pivotal role in climate, air quality, and health. The production of low-volatility dimeric compounds through accretion reactions is a key aspect of SOA formation. However, despite extensive study, the structures and thus the formation mechanisms of dimers in SOA remain largely uncharacterized. In this work, we elucidate the structures of several major dimer esters in SOA from ozonolysis of α-pinene and β-pinene-substantial global SOA sources-through independent synthesis of authentic standards. We show that these dimer esters are formed in the particle phase and propose a mechanism of nucleophilic addition of alcohols to a cyclic acylperoxyhemiacetal. This chemistry likely represents a general pathway to dimeric compounds in ambient SOA.

Direct probing of acylperoxy radicals during ozonolysis of α-pinene: constraints on radical chemistry and production of highly oxygenated organic molecules

Abstract. Acylperoxy radicals (RO2) are key intermediates in the atmospheric oxidation of organic compounds and different from the general alkyl RO2 radicals in reactivity. However, direct probing of the molecular identities and chemistry of acyl RO2 remains quite limited. Here, we report a combined experimental and kinetic modeling study of the composition and formation mechanisms of acyl RO2, as well as their contributions to the formation of highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) during ozonolysis of α-pinene. We find that acyl RO2 radicals account for 67 %, 94 %, and 32 % of the highly oxygenated C7, C8, and C9 RO2, respectively, but only a few percent of C10 RO2. The formation pathway of acyl RO2 species depends on their oxygenation level. The highly oxygenated acyl RO2 (oxygen atom number ≥6) are mainly formed by the intramolecular aldehydic H shift (i.e., autoxidation) of RO2, while the less oxygenated acyl RO2 (oxygen atom number <6) are basically derived from the C–C bond cleavage of alkoxy (RO) radicals containing an α-ketone group or the intramolecular H shift of RO containing an aldehyde group. The acyl-RO2-involved reactions explain 50 %–90 % of C7 and C8 closed-shell HOMs and 14 % of C10 HOMs, respectively. For C9 HOMs, this contribution can be up to 30 %–60 %. In addition, acyl RO2 contribute to 50 %–95 % of C14–C18 HOM dimer formation. Because of the generally fast reaction kinetics of acyl RO2, the acyl RO2 + alkyl RO2 reactions seem to outcompete the alkyl RO2 + alkyl RO2 pathways, thereby affecting the fate of alkyl RO2 and HOM formation. Our study sheds lights on the detailed formation pathways of the monoterpene-derived acyl RO2 and their contributions to HOM formation, which will help to understand the oxidation chemistry of monoterpenes and sources of low-volatility organic compounds capable of driving particle formation and growth in the atmosphere.

Relative humidity-dependent evolution of molecular composition of α-pinene secondary organic aerosol upon heterogeneous oxidation by hydroxyl radicals

Heterogeneous oxidation by gas-phase oxidants is an important chemical transformation pathway of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and plays an important role in controlling the abundance, properties, as well as climate and health impacts of aerosols. However, our knowledge on this heterogeneous chemistry remains inadequate. In this study, the heterogeneous oxidation of α-pinene ozonolysis SOA by hydroxyl (OH) radicals was investigated under both low and high relative humidity (RH) conditions, with an emphasis on the evolution of molecular composition of SOA and its RH dependence. It is found that the heterogeneous oxidation of SOA at an OH exposure level equivalent to 12 hr of atmospheric aging leads to particle mass loss of 60% at 25% RH and 95% at 90% RH. The heterogeneous oxidation strongly changes the molecular composition of SOA. The dimer-to-monomer signal ratios increase dramatically with rising OH exposure, in particular under high RH conditions, suggesting that aerosol water stimulates the reaction of monomers with OH radicals more than that of dimers. In addition, the typical SOA tracer compounds such as pinic acid, pinonic acid, hydroxy pinonic acid and dimer esters (e.g., C17H26O8 and C19H28O7) have lifetimes of several hours against heterogeneous OH oxidation under typical atmospheric conditions, which highlights the need for the consideration of their heterogeneous loss in the estimation of monoterpene SOA concentrations using tracer-based methods. Our study sheds lights on the heterogeneous oxidation chemistry of monoterpene SOA and would help to understand their evolution and impacts in the atmosphere.

Molecular identification of organic acid molecules from α-pinene ozonolysis

Oxidized organic molecules from ozonolysis of α-pinene are believed to participate in atmospheric new particle formation in forest regions. However, the detailed process of nucleation originated from α-pinene ozonolysis remains unclear. In this study, an atmospheric pressure interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer coupled with a planar differential mobility analyzer (DMA-MS) was applied to investigate the gas-phase reaction of α-pinene and ozone. Ion mobility and mass to charge ratio of the oxidized molecules were simultaneously measured. The ion mobility distribution of these oxidation products highlighted three mobility diameter ranges: 0.89–0.99 nm, 1.16–1.24 nm and 1.31–1.38 nm, where the dominating molecules were CH2O2, C7-10H10-20O3-7 and C19-20H30-32O6-9, respectively. Combining the DMA-MS measurements, quantum chemistry calculations, and ion mobility modeling, the dominant monomer (C10H16O3) was confirmed as pinonic acid while the primary dimer (C20H32O6) was considered as pinonic acid cluster ((C10H16O3)2). Considering the yield of pinonic acid produced from α-pinene ozonolysis (2–4%), (C10H16O3)2 potentially accounts for part of the nocturnal C20 dimers and ungrowable sub-2-nm particles in forests. Our work provides a new method to facilitate the understanding of atmospheric nucleation and initial growth.

Formation of Highly Oxidized Organic Compounds and Secondary Organic Aerosol from α-Thujene Ozonolysis.

We conducted laboratory chamber experiments to probe the gas- and particle-phase composition of oxidized organics and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from α-thujene ozonolysis under different chemical regimes. The formation of low-volatility compounds was observed using chemical ionization mass spectrometry with nitrate (NO3-) and iodide (I-) reagent ions. The contribution of measured low-volatility compounds to particle growth was predicted using a simple condensational growth model and found to underpredict the measured growth rates in our chamber (on the order of several nm min-1). The yields of low-volatility compounds and SOA mass were similar to those of other monoterpene ozonolysis systems. While semivolatile compounds C10H14-16O3-7 were measured most abundantly with I- reagent ion, a large fraction of products measured with NO3- were C5-7 fragments with predicted intermediate volatility. Additionally, particle composition was measured with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry and compared to particle composition from α-pinene ozonolysis. Structural isomers were identified from tandem mass spectrometry analysis of two abundant product ions (C8H13O5-, C19H27O7-). Our results indicate that although this system efficiently generates low-volatility organics and SOA under the conditions studied, fragmentation pathways that produce more highly volatile products effectively compete with these processes.

A new smog chamber system for atmospheric multiphase chemistry study: design and characterization

Abstract. Multiphase chemistry is an important pathway for the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) in the atmosphere. In this study, an indoor 2 m3 Teflon chamber system (Aerosol multIphase chemistry Research chamber, AIR) was developed and characterized to specifically simulate atmospheric multiphase chemistry processes. The temperature and humidity controls, diurnal variation simulation, and seed particle generation unit in this chamber system were designed to meet the needs of simulating multiphase atmospheric chemical reactions. The AIR chamber is able to accurately control temperature (2.5–31 ± 0.15 ∘C) and relative humidity (RH <2 %–>95 % ± 0.75 %) over a relatively broad range. In addition, an RH regulation module inside the chamber was designed to simulate the diurnal variation of ambient atmospheric RH. The aerosol generation unit is able to generate pre-deliquescent seed particles with an organic coating across a wide range of phase states or morphologies. The organic coating thickness of the aerosols within the chamber can be precisely controlled through adjusting the condensation temperature, further helping to elucidate the roles of seed particles in multiphase chemical reactions. The inner walls of the AIR chamber are passivated to reduce the wall loss rates of reactive gases. Yield experiments of α-pinene ozonolysis with and without seed particles combined with a box model simulation demonstrate the high-quality performance of secondary aerosol formation simulation using the AIR chamber.

A new iodometric microwave-assisted method for peroxide determination in Secondary Organic Aerosols

Peroxides (H2O2, ROOR, ROOH) play an important atmospheric role in both the gas and particle phases. Several techniques are available in the literature for their quantification, although current techniques are very expensive or time-consuming. In the present work, a new fast and sensitive iodometric-spectrophotometric method, based on the traditional one, has been developed for the trace SOA (Secondary Organic Aerosols)-bound peroxides of laboratory-generated samples. The proposed method is based on the acceleration by microwave radiation of the reaction of peroxides with potassium iodide in acid medium. Iodine is liberated and in the presence of excess of iodide forms I3− that could be monitored at three different wavelengths (288, 351 and 420 nm). The linear range of concentrations of the method is at least 1–35 μM. The limit of detection of the method was 1 μM without degasification and decreased to 0.25 μM with degasification, respectively. The optimum conditions and other analytical parameters were evaluated for H2O2, tert-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide. The main advantages of the new method in comparison with the traditional method are: it is less time consuming, it is applicable even in the presence of oxygen, it has a lower limit of detection (for 1 cm pathlength cell) and there are no sensitivity differences between different peroxides types.The proposed method has been successfully applied and compared with the traditional method for the determination of peroxides in SOA generated in laboratory by the gas phase ozonolysis of α-pinene.

Volatility Measurements of Individual Components in Organic Aerosol Mixtures Using Temperature-Programmed Desorption-Direct Analysis in Real Time-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Atmospheric organic aerosols (OA) have profound effects on air quality, visibility, and radiative forcing of climate. Quantitative assessment of gas-particle equilibrium of OA components is critical to understand formation, growth, distribution, and evolution of OA in the atmosphere. This study presents a novel ambient pressure measurement approach developed and tested for untargeted screening of individual components in complex OA mixtures, followed by targeted chemical speciation of identified species and assessment of their physicochemical properties such as saturation vapor pressure and enthalpies of sublimation/evaporation. The method employs temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments coupled to "direct analysis in real time" (DART) ionization source and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) detection. Progression of the mass spectra is acquired in the TPD experiments over a T = 25-350 °C temperature range, and extracted ion chromatograms (EIC) of individual species are used to infer their apparent enthalpies of sublimation/evaporation (ΔHsub*) and saturation vapor pressure (pT*, Pa, or CT*, μg m-3) as a function of T. We validate application of this method for analysis of selected organic compounds with known ΔHsub and CT values, which showed excellent agreement between our results and the existing data. We then extend these experiments to interrogate individual components in complex OA samples generated in the laboratory-controlled ozonolysis of α-pinene, limonene, and β-ocimene monoterpenes. The abundant OA species of interest are distinguished based on their accurate mass measurements, followed by quantitation of their apparent ΔHsub* and CT* values from the corresponding EIC records. Comparison of C298K* values derived from our experiments for the individual OA components with the corresponding estimates based on their elemental composition using a "molecular corridors" (MC) parametrization suggests that the MC calculations tend to overestimate the saturation vapor pressures of OA components. Presented results indicate very promising applicability of the TPD-DART-HRMS method for the untargeted analysis of organic molecules in OA and other environmental mixtures, enabling rapid detection and quantification of organic pollutants in the real-world condensed-phase samples at atmospheric pressure and without sample preparation.

Selective deuteration as a tool for resolving autoxidation mechanisms in α-pinene ozonolysis

Abstract. Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) from α-pinene ozonolysis have been shown to be significant contributors to secondary organic aerosol (SOA), yet our mechanistic understanding of how the peroxy-radical-driven autoxidation leads to their formation in this system is still limited. The involved isomerisation reactions such as H-atom abstractions followed by O2 additions can take place on sub-second timescales in short-lived intermediates, making the process challenging to study. Similarly, while the end-products and sometimes radical intermediates can be observed using mass spectrometry, their structures remain elusive. Therefore, we propose a method utilising selective deuterations for unveiling the mechanisms of autoxidation, where the HOM products can be used to infer which C atoms have taken part in the isomerisation reactions. This relies on the fact that if a C−D bond is broken due to an abstraction by a peroxy group forming a −OOD hydroperoxide, the D atom will become labile and able to be exchanged with a hydrogen atom in water vapour (H2O), effectively leading to loss of the D atom from the molecule. In this study, we test the applicability of this method using three differently deuterated versions of α-pinene with the newly developed chemical ionisation Orbitrap (CI-Orbitrap) mass spectrometer to inspect the oxidation products. The high mass-resolving power of the Orbitrap is critical, as it allows the unambiguous separation of molecules with a D atom (mD=2.0141) from those with two H atoms (mH2=2.0157). We found that the method worked well, and we could deduce that two of the three tested compounds had lost D atoms during oxidation, suggesting that those deuterated positions were actively involved in the autoxidation process. Surprisingly, the deuterations were not observed to decrease HOM molar yields, as would have been expected due to kinetic isotope effects. This may be an indication that the relevant H (or D) abstractions were fast enough that no competing pathways were of relevance despite slower abstraction rates of the D atom. We show that selective deuteration can be a very useful method for studying autoxidation on a molecular level and likely is not limited to the system of α-pinene ozonolysis tested here.

Aging of α-Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol by Hydroxyl Radicals in the Aqueous Phase: Kinetics and Products.

The reaction of hydroxyl radicals (OH) with a water-soluble fraction of the α-pinene secondary organic aerosol (SOA) was investigated using liquid chromatography coupled with negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The SOA was generated by the dark ozonolysis of α-pinene, extracted into the water, and subjected to chemical aging by the OH. Bimolecular reaction rate coefficients (kOH) for the oxidation of terpenoic acids by the OH were measured using the relative rate method. The unaged SOA was dominated by the cyclobutyl-ring-retaining compounds, primarily cis-pinonic, cis-pinic, and hydroxy-pinonic acids. Aqueous oxidation by the OH resulted in the removal of early-stage products and dimers, including well-known oligomers with MW = 358 and 368 Da. Furthermore, a 2- to 5-fold increase in the concentration of cyclobutyl-ring-opening products was observed, including terpenylic and diaterpenylic acids and diaterpenylic acid acetate as well as some of the newly identified OH aging markers. At the same time, results obtained from the kinetic box model showed a high degree of SOA fragmentation following the reaction with the OH, which indicates that non-radical reactions occurring during the evaporation of water likely contribute to the high yields of terpenoic aqSOAs reported previously. The estimated atmospheric lifetimes showed that in clouds, terpenoic acids react with the OH exclusively in the aqueous phase. Aqueous OH aging of the α-pinene SOA results in a 10% increase of the average O/C ratio and a 3-fold decrease in the average kOH value, which is likely to affect the cloud condensation nuclei activity of the aqSOA formed after the evaporation of water.

Large Gas-Phase Source of Esters and Other Accretion Products in the Atmosphere.

Dimeric accretion products have been observed both in atmospheric aerosol particles and in the gas phase. With their low volatilities, they are key contributors to the formation of new aerosol particles, acting as seeds for more volatile organic vapors to partition onto. Many particle-phase accretion products have been identified as esters. Various gas- and particle-phase formation pathways have been suggested for them, yet evidence remains inconclusive. In contrast, peroxide accretion products have been shown to form via gas-phase peroxy radical (RO2) cross reactions. Here, we show that these reactions can also be a major source of esters and other types of accretion products. We studied α-pinene ozonolysis using state-of-the-art chemical ionization mass spectrometry together with different isotopic labeling approaches and quantum chemical calculations, finding strong evidence for fast radical isomerization before accretion. Specifically, this isomerization seems to happen within the intermediate complex of two alkoxy (RO) radicals, which generally determines the branching of all RO2-RO2 reactions. Accretion products are formed when the radicals in the complex recombine. We found that RO with suitable structures can undergo extremely rapid C-C β scissions before recombination, often resulting in ester products. We also found evidence of this previously overlooked RO2-RO2 reaction pathway forming alkyl accretion products and speculate that some earlier peroxide identifications may in fact be hemiacetals or ethers. Our findings help answer several outstanding questions on the sources of accretion products in organic aerosol and bridge our knowledge of the gas phase formation and particle phase detection of accretion products. As esters are inherently more stable than peroxides, this also impacts their further reactivity in the aerosol.

A combined gas- and particle-phase analysis of highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) from α-pinene ozonolysis

Abstract. Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) are important for the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), which poses serious health risks and exerts great influence on Earth's climate. However, the speciation of particle-phase HOMs and its relationship with gas-phase HOM formation has been limited by the lack of suitable analytical techniques. Here, combining a novel particle evaporation inlet, the VIA (Vaporization Inlet for Aerosols), with a nitrate chemical ionization mass spectrometer (NO3-CIMS), gas- and particle-phase HOM products of α-pinene ozonolysis were studied under different conditions. Within the 50 min residence time of our Teflon chamber, we observed enhancement of C16–C19 HOM dimers in particles compared to the HOMs that were condensing. In particular, gas-phase dimer formation was considerably suppressed in experiments with the addition of CO or NO, but dimers still made up a considerable fraction of the observed SOA. In addition to the generally shorter carbon skeletons of the particle-phase dimers (i.e., C16–C19) compared to the gas phase (C19–C20), average O/C ratios of the HOMs (especially in the dimer range) also decreased slightly in the particle phase. C17H26Oz compounds, which have often been reported by previous offline measurements, dominate the particle-phase HOM mass spectra in α-pinene ozonolysis experiments. Our results indicate that these C17 compounds might be related to particle-phase processes within 1 h after HOM condensation. However, the new VIA–NO3-CIMS system used in this work will require more detailed characterization to better understand how the thermal desorption and wall effects may modify the measured particle-phase HOM distributions. Nevertheless, organic nitrate, for example, measured by this novel VIA–NO3-CIMS system was consistent with the measurements of an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), showing the capability of this system as a promising technique for particle-phase HOM measurements. Taken together, we believe that this system is a promising technique for combined online gas- and particle-phase HOM measurements.