用自组织特征映射神经网络对飞行时间质谱采集的大气气溶胶单粒子进行分类

气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪(ATOFMS)在对气溶胶粒子的测量过程中,产生大量包含单粒子化学成分和粒径信息的数据。本研究采用具备矢量量化与数据降维能力的自组织特征映射网络(SOM),对自制的气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪24 h采集到的室内大气气溶胶质谱数据进行聚类分析。获得"含钙"、"盐类和二次气溶胶"、"二次颗粒"、"有机胺"、"富含钾有机物"、"无机盐"和"土壤"等20类颗粒。相比于其它聚类方法,SOM可进行可视化分析,对神经元进行再次聚类,聚类中心多。这些分类信息将有助于评估气溶胶粒子的反应和毒性,以及鉴别气溶胶粒子的起源。     

气溶胶单粒子化学成分在线聚类分析

为了在线快速、自动处理气溶胶激光飞行时间质谱仪在运行过程中产生的海量数据并提取有价值的信息,将基于神经网络的自适应共振算法运用于气溶胶单粒子化学成分在线聚类分析.利用该算法对NaCl粒子、NaCl和CaCl2的气溶胶混合物、三聚氰胺气溶胶单粒子以及大气气溶胶单粒子进行在线分类,被成功分类的粒子数占命中粒子总数的100%,当警戒阈值为0.1,学习速率为0.05时,获得的每类聚类中心都能很好地代表该类物质的特征;深入研究了警戒阈值对NaCl粒子在线聚类数的影响.结果表明: 当警戒阈值增大到0.8时,在线聚类数增多,分类更加精细.本算法的质谱分析软件基本满足大气气溶胶单粒子在线聚类分析的要求.     

气溶胶单粒子化学成分的实时测量

自行设计了国内第一台可实时测量气溶胶单粒子化学成分的气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪,并用该仪器对两类燃烧过程产生的气溶胶粒子进行了实时测量。实验结果展示了本仪器能够同时实现实时在线测量和单粒子检测,从而克服了传统的离线检测方法如色谱法、化学方法的局限性。     

用于大气化学反应和二次有机气溶胶研究的实验室烟雾箱系统的搭建、测试与初步实验

为了从本质上认识和了解大气氧化反应进程以及二次有机气溶胶的形成机制,设计并搭建了一套实验室模拟烟雾箱系统．将质子转移反应质谱、同步辐射光电离质谱及气溶胶激光飞行时间质谱等特色质谱检测系统与烟雾箱结合,用于大气氧化反应气相和粒子相产物的定量与定性分析．通过一系列表征实验获得了该系统的基本参数,如烟雾箱内温度和光强特征,气体化合物和颗粒物的壁损耗速率,零空气的背景反应性及实验结果的可重复性．臭氧氧化α-蒎烯定量化实验和OH启动异戊二烯光氧化反应的定性检测结果进一步表明了该系统能够满足大气化学反应过程中气相和粒子相化学成分的定性分析及二次有机气溶胶的定量化研究的需要.     

单颗粒气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪分析香烟烟气气溶胶

单颗粒气溶胶飞行时间质谱可同时对气溶胶单颗粒的粒径大小、化学成分进行实时、在线检测.本研究介绍了新近研制的单颗粒质谱仪的原理、结构、主要技术指标及对香烟烟气气溶胶的应用研究.仪器采用空气动力学透镜聚焦,双光束粒径测量系统确定颗粒物的空气动力学直径,激光电离系统实现颗粒物精确电离,通过双极有网反射飞行时间质量分析器实现正负离子同时检测.香烟检测结果表明,在颗粒物粒径分布上,新鲜香烟烟气颗粒范围较老化烟气宽.在气溶胶化学成分上,老化烟气颗粒物与新鲜烟气相比,尼古丁,氰酸盐,硝酸盐,硫酸盐及铵盐5种成分的数浓度百分比都有所增加,而含C1-的数浓度百分比减少.原因可能是由于烟气由气相到粒相之间的转化,及颗粒物与空气中的气体发生了非均相反应;C1-老化之后的减少是因为HN03与CI-之间的非均相反应.     

谱图准确度在高分辨飞行时间质谱分析硝铵类有机炸药RDX中的应用

应用实时直接分析-高分辨飞行时间质谱(DART-HR-TOFMS)对硝胺类有机炸药黑索金(RDX)及其爆炸残留物进行精确质量质谱分析,借助MassWorks质谱解析软件对质谱数据进行了噪音过滤及峰形校正处理,获得了炸药准确的同位素分布模式,然后通过实际同位素分布模式的校正峰形与理论峰形匹配的谱图准确度对待选的分子式进行排序,实现了RDX的准确识别和鉴定。     

乙苯光氧化产生二次有机气溶胶的化学成分及反应机理分析

在自制的烟雾腔内,研究羟基自由基(OH·)启动的乙苯的光氧化反应和一系列后续反应,产生了二次有机气溶胶. 采用空气动力学直径粒谱分析仪分析了气溶胶粒子的尺寸分布;并用自制的气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪快速、实时地测量了单个二次有机气溶胶粒子的分子组分. 初步探讨了这些组分的可能反应机理.     

利用基质抑制效应检测小质量的气溶胶粒子

研究了气溶胶粒子的基质辅助激光解吸附电离质谱，在基质对分析物的摩尔比较高时，同时出现了基质和分析物离子峰；在基质对分析物的摩尔比低于5：1时，出现了基质抑制效应。基质抑制效应可以产生高质量的质谱，即：质谱中分析物信号较强，基质信号很弱或者消失。因此，利用基质抑制效应，可以检测低分子量的分析物。     

单颗粒气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪在细颗粒物研究中的应用和进展

单颗粒气溶胶质谱技术起源于20世纪70年代,在近二十年得到了快速的发展.单颗粒气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪具有高时间分辨率,且同时测量大气中单个细颗粒物粒径、多种化学组分和混合状态的特点,在大气细颗粒物监测和科学研究中逐渐得到了广泛应用.本文对单颗粒气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪的发展历程进行了介绍,对目前已商品化的单颗粒气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪ATOFMS和SPAMS的原理、数据分析方法、结果输出方式以及在环境监测和研究中的主要应用进行了总结,并指出单颗粒气溶胶飞行时间质谱仪的发展方向.     

稠环齐聚物结构的激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱表征

应用激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱对几种不同结构的吡嗪稠环齐聚物进行了表征.样品溶解在二甲基亚砜中,以正离子方式记录谱图,结果发现除了产生目标化合物的质子化的分子离子峰外,还产生了少量的碎片分子离子峰.结果表明激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱能有效地、快速准确地给出这类化合物的分子离子峰,为吡嗪类稠环齐聚物的研究提供了有效的表征方法.     

Online aerosol mass spectrometry of single micrometer-sized particles containing poly(ethylene glycol)

The analysis of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-containing particles by online single particle aerosol mass spectrometers equipped with laser desorption/ionization (LDI) is reported. We demonstrate that PEG-containing particles are useful in the development of aerosol mass spectrometers because of their ease of preparation, low cost, and inherently recognizable mass spectra. Solutions containing millimolar quantities of PEGs were nebulized and, after drying, the resultant micrometer-sized PEG-containing particles were sampled. LDI (266 nm) of particles containing NaCl and PEG molecules of average molecular weight<500 Da generated mass spectra reminiscent of mass spectra of PEG collected by other mass spectrometer platforms including the characteristic distribution of positive ions (Na+ adducts) separated by the 44 m/z units of the ethylene oxide units separating each degree of polymerization. PEGs of average molecular weight>500 Da were detected from particles that also contained the tripeptide tyrosine-tyrosine-tyrosine or 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, which were added to nebulized solutions to act as matrices to assist LDI using pulsed 266 nm and 355 nm lasers, respectively. Experiments were performed on two aerosol mass spectrometers, one reflectron and one linear, that each utilize two time-of-flight mass analyzers to detect positive and negative ions created from a single particle. PEG-containing particles are currently being employed in the optimization of our bioaerosol mass spectrometers for the application of measurements of complex biological samples, including human effluents, and we recommend that the same strategies will be of great utility to the development of any online aerosol LDI mass spectrometer platform.     

Real-time analysis of secondary organic aerosol particles formed from cyclohexene ozonolysis using a laser-ionization single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer.

A real-time analysis of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles formed from cyclohexene ozonolysis in a smog chamber was performed using a laser-ionization single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (LISPA-MS). The instrument obtains both size and chemical compositions of individual aerosol particles with a high time-resolution (approximately 2 s at the maximum). Both positive and negative-ion mass spectra are obtained. Standard particles generated from dicarboxylic acid solutions using an atomizer were also analyzed. For both standard and SOA particles, the negative-ion mass spectra provided information about the molecular weights of the organic compounds in the particles, since the intense ions in the negative-ion mass spectra are mainly attributable to the molecular-related ions [M-H]-. It was demonstrated that the real-time single-particle analysis of SOA particles by the LISPA-MS technique can reveal the formation and transformation processes of SOA particle in smog chambers.     

Data processing in on-line laser mass spectrometry of inorganic, organic, or biological airborne particles

A general solution for data processing of large numbers of micrometer- or submicrometer-particle mass spectra in aerosol analysis is described. The method is based on immediate evaluation of bipolar laser desorption ionization mass spectra acquired in an on-line (impact-free) time-of-flight instrument. The goal of the procedure is a characterization of the particle population under investigation in terms of chemical composition of particle classes, particle distributions, size distributions, and time courses, rather than an investigation of each individual particle. After automatic peak analysis of each newly acquired bipolar mass spectrum, the mass spectral information is statistically evaluated by a fuzzy clustering algorithm, providing for an immediate attribution of the particle to predefined particle classes. The particle distributions over these classes can be monitored as a function of time and particle size range. Definition of the particle classes as used for on-line evaluation is performed in an earlier step, either by manual approach, or by selection from a particle class database, or, as in most cases, by fuzzy clustering of a set of particle mass spectra from the population (the aerosol) under investigation. Definition of the particle classes is depending only on the distinguishability of the spectra patterns of different particles. It is not necessary for the clustering approach to fully “understand” the mass spectra. The range of possible applications of the method is therefore very broad. Particles dominated by inorganic components, as typically observed in aerosol chemistry for example, can be investigated the same way as organic particles (e.g., from smoke or automobile exhaust) or even biological particles such as bacteria, yeast, or pollen. The data processing method has been successfully applied in several fields of stationary applications and will be employed in mobile instruments for large scale field studies in atmospheric chemistry, engine combustion research, and the characterization of house dust.     

Low‐Molecular Weight and Oligomeric Components in Secondary Organic Aerosol from the Photooxidation of p‐Xylene

A laboratory study was performed to investigate the composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) products from photooxidation of the aromatic hydrocarbon p‐xylene. The experiments were conducted by irradiating p‐xylene/CH₃ONO/NO/air mixtures in a home‐made smog chamber. The aerosol time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) was used to measure the size and the chemical composition of individual secondary organic aerosol particles in real‐time. According to a large number of single aerosol diameters and mass spectra, the size distribution and chemical composition of SOA were determined statistically. Experimental results showed that aerosol created by p‐xylene photooxidation is predominantly in the form of fine particles, which have diameters less than 2.5 μm (i.e. PM2.5), and aromatic aldehyde, unsaturated dicarbonys, hydroxyl dicarbonys, and organic acid are major product components in the SOA after 2 hours photooxidation. After aging for more than 8 hours, about 10% of the particle mass consists of oligomers with a molecular mass up to 600 daltons. The possible reaction mechanisms leading to these products are also proposed.     

Improvements in ion signal reproducibility obtained using a homogeneous laser beam for on-line laser desorption/ionization of single particles

A major factor limiting on-line single particle mass spectrometry techniques from becoming more quantitative is the large shot-to-shot variability in ion intensities observed in the laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectra.1,2 In previous work, lab-generated particles showed fluctuations of up to 152% in the absolute ion intensities in averaged spectra of 200-300 'identical' particles.2 Most of these fluctuations were attributed to inhomogeneities in the laser beam profile, leading to significant differences in the power each particle encountered depending on the position in the LDI laser beam where it underwent analysis. The goal of the work presented herein is to determine whether a fiber optic actually reduces the observed variability in single particle LDI mass spectral data. Initial results are presented for individual single component organic particles composed of 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,4-DHB) analyzed using a low-power flat-top laser beam profile created by sending an ultraviolet (266 nm) DI laser through a fiber optic. Relative standard deviations of the total ion intensities for peaks in individual spectra are reduced to 31%. Single particle spectra, compared with and without laser homogenization at the same nominal laser fluence, show a marked enhancement. Specifically, the ion signal patterns of the 2,4-DHB particle spectra obtained using a homogenous LDI beam look identical to one another (i.e. only one particle type was produced with a commonly used neural network grouping algorithm), whereas without beam homogenization 25 different particle types (based on ion intensity patterns) were obtained. Future publications will explore more particle types and matrices but the initial results described herein are quite encouraging.     

Measuring rates of reaction in supercooled organic particles with implications for atmospheric aerosol

The kinetics of heterogeneous reactions involving supercooled organic droplets is reported for the first time. Reactions between ozone and internally-mixed sub-micrometre particles containing an unsaturated alkenoic acid, oleic acid, and an n-alkanoic acid, myristic acid, were studied as a simple model for the oxidation of meat-cooking aerosol. The reactions were followed by monitoring the rate of oleic acid loss using an Aerosol CIMS (chemical ionization mass spectrometry) instrument for real-time particle analysis. Evidence of as much as 32 degrees C supercooling at room temperature was observed depending on particle composition. FTIR spectra of the aerosol also demonstrate features indicative of supercooling. Particles in which crystallization was induced by cooling below room temperature demonstrated decreased reactivity by a factor of 12 compared to supercooled particles of the same composition. This drastic difference in reactivity could have significant implications for the lifetimes of reactive species in ambient aerosol as well as for the accurate source apportionment of particulate matter.     

Investigation,by single photon ionisation (SPI)–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS), of the effect of different cigarette-lighting devices on the chemical composition of the first cigarette puff

Soft single-photon ionisation (SPI)–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) has been used to investigate the effect of different cigarette-lighting devices on the chemical composition of the mainstream smoke from the first cigarette puff. Lighting devices examined were a Borgwaldt electric lighter, a propane/butane gas lighter, a match, a candle, and the burning zone of another cigarette. To eliminate the effects of the different masses of tobacco burnt by use of the different lighting methods a normalisation procedure was performed which enabled investigation of changes in the chemical patterns of the resulting smoke. When another cigarette was used as the lighting device, elevated levels of ammonia and other nitrogen-containing substances were observed. These are high in the sidestream smoke of the cigarette used for lighting and would be drawn into the mainstream smoke of the cigarette being lit. In contrast, smoke from the cigarette lit by the electric lighter contained slightly higher normalised amounts of isoprene. Lighting the cigarette by use of a candle resulted in larger amounts of substances, e.g. benzene, which most probably originated from thermal decomposition of wax. The composition of the first puff of smoke obtained by use of the three lighting methods with open flames (gas lighter, match, and candle) was usually similar whereas the composition of the smoke produced by use of the electric lighter and the cigarette as the lighter were more unique. The chemical patterns generated by the different lighting devices could, however, be separated by principal-component analyses. Two additional test series were also studied. In the first the cigarette was lit with an electric lighter, then extinguished, the ash was cut off, and the cigarette was re-lit. In the second the cigarette was heated in an oven to 80 °C for 5 min before being lit. These treatments did not result in changes in the chemical composition compared with cigarettes lit in the ordinary way. Figure Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) has been used to investigate the effect of different cigarette-lighting devices on the chemical composition of the mainstream smoke from the first cigarette puff     

Application of single-particle laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soot particles originating from an industrial combustion process

Combustion-related soot particles were sampled in situ from the stoker system of a 0.5 MW incineration pilot plant (feeding material was wood) at two different heights over the feed bed in the third air supply zone. The collected particles were re-aerosolized by a powder-dispersing unit and analyzed by a single-particle laser desorption/ionization (LDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometer (aerosol-time-of-flight mass spectrometry, ATOFMS). The ATOFMS instrument characterizes particles according to their aerodynamic size (laser velocimetry) and chemical composition (LDI mass spectrometry). Chemical species from the particles are laser desorbed/ionized by 266 nm Nd:YAG laser pulses. ATOFMS results on individual 'real world' particles in general give information on the bulk inorganic composition. Organic compounds, which are of much lower concentrations, commonly are not detectable. However, recent off-line laser microprobe mass spectrometric (LMMS) experiments on bulk soot aerosol samples have emphasized that organic compounds can be desorbed and ionized without fragmentation in LDI experiments from black carbonaceous matrices. This paper reports the successful transfer of the off-line results to on-line analysis of airborne soot particles by ATOFMS. The detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soot particles is addressed in detail. The results are interpreted in the context of the recent LMMS results. Furthermore, their relevance with respect to possible applications in on-line monitoring of combustion processes is discussed.