Headspace analysis of chlorinated organic solvents in aerosol cans by gas chromatography

Summary A gas chromatographic (GC) method for the analysis of chlorinated solvents in chemical products in aerosol cans is described. Conditions for the sampling of chemical products from aerosol cans were optimized, so that the recovery of the solvents was better than 90%. Chlorinated solvents were identified by headspace GC—electron capture detection (ECD) as well as by GC — mass spectrometry. Headspace analysis employing the standard additions method and GC-ECD was used for the quantitation of chlorinated solvents. Analysis of 159 acrosol products, for various uses, revealed that 9% of these did not comply with the Danish Aerosol Regulations. The results of the study further indicated that aerosol products for haircare, paints and paint removers, and many others, can be formulated without chlorinated solvents.     

A routine gas chromatographic method for the analysis of chlorofluorocarbons in aerosol cans

Summary A gas chromatographic (GC) method for the routine analysis of fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in aerosol cans is described. The identification of CFCs by GC was found to be in full agreement with those by GC-mass-spectrometery. The method has been applied to the analysis of CFCs in 448 aerosol products. The most commonly used fully halogenated CFC propellants in aerosol cans were found to be CFC11, CFC12 and CFC114.     

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.     

Kinetics, products, and mechanisms of secondary organic aerosol formation

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is formed in the atmosphere when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from anthropogenic and biogenic sources are oxidized by reactions with OH radicals, O(3), NO(3) radicals, or Cl atoms to form less volatile products that subsequently partition into aerosol particles. Once in particles, these organic compounds can undergo heterogenous/multiphase reactions to form more highly oxidized or oligomeric products. SOA comprises a large fraction of atmospheric aerosol mass and can have significant effects on atmospheric chemistry, visibility, human health, and climate. Previous articles have reviewed the kinetics, products, and mechanisms of atmospheric VOC reactions and the general chemistry and physics involved in SOA formation. In this article we present a detailed review of VOC and heterogeneous/multiphase chemistry as they apply to SOA formation, with a focus on the effects of VOC molecular structure on the kinetics of initial reactions with the major atmospheric oxidants, the subsequent reactions of alkyl, alkyl peroxy, and alkoxy radical intermediates, and the composition of the resulting products. Structural features of reactants and products discussed include compound carbon number; linear, branched, and cyclic configurations; the presence of C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bonds and aromatic rings; and functional groups such as carbonyl, hydroxyl, ester, hydroxperoxy, carboxyl, peroxycarboxyl, nitrate, and peroxynitrate. The intention of this review is to provide atmospheric chemists with sufficient information to understand the dominant pathways by which the major classes of atmospheric VOCs react to form SOA products, and the further reactions of these products in particles. This will allow reasonable predictions to be made, based on molecular structure, about the kinetics, products, and mechanisms of VOC and heterogeneous/multiphase reactions, including the effects of important variables such as VOC, oxidant, and NO(x) concentrations as well as temperature, humidity, and particle acidity. Such knowledge should be useful for interpreting the results of laboratory and field studies and for developing atmospheric chemistry models. A number of recommendations for future research are also presented.     

Chemical Composition and Reaction Mechanisms for Secondary Organic Aerosol from Photooxidation of Toluene

A laboratory study was carried out to investigate the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) products from photooxidation of the aromatic hydrocarbon toluene. The experiments were conducted by irradiating toluene/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, we obtained the size distribution and chemical composition of SOA statistically. Expeperimental results showed that aerosol created by toluene photooxidation is predominantly in the form of fine particles, which have diameters less than 2.5 μm (i.e. PM2.5), and the predominant components of aerosol are furane, methyl glyoxylic acid, phenol, benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, cresol, 3‐hydroxy‐2,4‐dioxo‐pentanal, methyl nitrophenol, and 5‐hydroxy‐4,6‐dioxo‐2‐heptenal. The possible reaction mechanisms leading to these products were also discussed.     

Heterogeneous photochemistry of trace atmospheric gases with components of mineral dust aerosol

Mineral dust aerosol is known to provide a reactive surface in the troposphere for heterogeneous chemistry to occur. Certain components of mineral dust aerosol, such as semiconductor metal oxides, can act as chromophores that initiate chemical reactions, while adsorbed organic and inorganic species may also be photoactive. However, relatively little is known about the impact of heterogeneous photochemistry of mineral dust aerosol in the atmosphere. In this study, we investigate the heterogeneous photochemistry of trace atmospheric gases including HNO(3) and O(3) with components of mineral dust aerosol using an environmental aerosol chamber that incorporates a solar simulator. For reaction of HNO(3) with aluminum oxide, broadband irradiation initiates photoreactions to form gaseous NO and NO(2). A complex dynamic balance between surface adsorbed nitrate and gaseous nitrogen oxide products including NO and NO(2) is observed. For heterogeneous photoreactions of O(3), iron oxide shows catalytic decompositions toward O(3) while aluminum oxide is deactivated by ozone exposure. Furthermore, the role of relative humidity, and, thus, adsorbed water, on heterogeneous photochemistry has been explored. The atmospheric implications of these results are discussed.     

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.     

Cholesterol ozonolysis: kinetics, mechanism, and oligomer products

Fine particles of cholesterol were reacted with ozone under pseudo-first-order conditions in an aerosol bag reactor. Gas-phase ozone was monitored using an ozone meter. Particle size distribution functions were determined using a scanning mobility particle sizer, which selected particle sizes for introduction into a photoionization aerosol mass spectrometer (PIAMS). PIAMS was used to determine the concentration of cholesterol in the aerosol as a function of reaction time. Dilution corrected rate coefficients were used to calculate the reactive uptake coefficient for ozone onto cholesterol particles as (2.8 +/- 0.4) x 10(-6). Uptake was found to be independent of particle diameter for the sizes studied (100 and 200 nm), suggesting that the uptake is surface mediated. The reaction products were also collected on filters and analyzed by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry with both direct infusion and liquid chromatography sample introduction. The main primary reaction products contained one, two, or three oxygens added to the cholesterol moiety. Secondary oligomeric products were also observed, consisting of covalently bound dimers and trimers. Tandem mass spectrometry was used to confirm the expected structures of these compounds. The dimers appear to be acyl hydroperoxides, consistent with a previously reported mechanism for the reaction in a nonparticipating solvent. Finally, the magnitude of the uptake coefficient confirms that cholesterol is suitable as a local source tracer for source apportionment of ambient organic aerosol.     

基于单螺旋微流控芯片的细菌气溶胶的高效富集

设计了一种单螺旋通道的聚二甲基硅氧烷(Poly(dimethylsiloxane),PDMS)微流控芯片,用于副溶血性弧菌气溶胶的快速有效富集。该芯片的特征在于其通道呈螺旋分布,且通道内部含有均匀分布的鱼骨形结构。结果表明,在不同富集时间段内,采用该芯片方法捕获的细菌总数均远高于传统落板法。对于传统落板法无法有效捕获的低浓度样本(10~4CFU/mL)的缺陷,该方法的优势在于:芯片内部的螺旋通道可增大对气溶胶中微生物的离心力;鱼骨形结构的设计增加了待测样品与芯片内壁间的接触几率。此外,以无鱼骨形的螺旋芯片作为对照,验证了鱼骨形结构对于高效富集的意义。此芯片设计巧妙、易于制备、高效便携、富集效果较好,在气溶胶污染严重的水产加工等场所具有较大的应用前景。     

Laser induced aerosol formation in CS2 vapour

We observed the formation of aerosol particles in CS₂ vapour irradiated by 337 nm nitrogen laser light. Various interesting features of the kinetics of the formation process are reported. The chemical nature of the photoreaction products giving rise to the formation of aerosol particles is also discussed.     

Reaction of oleic acid particles with NO3 radicals: Products, mechanism, and implications for radical-initiated organic aerosol oxidation

The heterogeneous reaction of liquid oleic acid aerosol particles with NO3 radicals in the presence of NO2, N2O5, and O2 was investigated in an environmental chamber using a combination of on-line and off-line mass spectrometric techniques. The results indicate that the major reaction products, which are all carboxylic acids, consist of hydroxy nitrates, carbonyl nitrates, dinitrates, hydroxydinitrates, and possibly more highly nitrated products. The key intermediate in the reaction is the nitrooxyalkylperoxy radical, which is formed by the addition of NO3 to the carbon-carbon double bond and subsequent addition of O2. The nitrooxyalkylperoxy radicals undergo self-reactions to form hydroxy nitrates and carbonyl nitrates, and may also react with NO2 to form nitrooxy peroxynitrates. The latter compounds are unstable and decompose to carbonyl nitrates and dinitrates. It is noteworthy that in this reaction nitrooxyalkoxy radicals appear not to be formed, as indicated by the absence of the expected products of decomposition or isomerization of these species. This is different from gas-phase alkene-NO3 reactions, in which a large fraction of the products are formed through these pathways. The results may indicate that, for liquid organic aerosol particles in low NOx environments, the major products of the radical-initiated oxidation (including by OH radicals) of unsaturated and saturated organic compounds will be substituted forms of the parent compound rather than smaller decomposition products. These compounds will remain in the particle and can potentially enhance particle hygroscopicity and the ability of particles to act as cloud condensation nuclei.     

The effect of humidity on the ozonolysis of unsaturated compounds in aerosol particles

Atmospheric aerosol particles are important in many atmospheric processes such as: light scattering, light absorption, and cloud formation. Oxidation reactions continuously change the chemical composition of aerosol particles, especially the organic mass component, which is often the dominant fraction. These ageing processes are poorly understood but are known to significantly affect the cloud formation potential of aerosol particles. In this study we investigate the effect of humidity and ozone on the chemical composition of two model organic aerosol systems: oleic acid and arachidonic acid. These two acids are also compared to maleic acid an aerosol system we have previously studied using the same techniques. The role of relative humidity in the oxidation scheme of the three carboxylic acids is very compound specific. Relative humidity was observed to have a major influence on the oxidation scheme of maleic acid and arachidonic acid, whereas no dependence was observed for the oxidation of oleic acid. In both, maleic acid and arachidonic acid, an evaporation of volatile oxidation products could only be observed when the particle was exposed to high relative humidities. The particle phase has a strong effect on the particle processing and the effect of water on the oxidation processes. Oleic acid is liquid under all conditions at room temperature (dry or elevated humidity, pure or oxidized particle). Thus ozone can easily diffuse into the bulk of the particle irrespective of the oxidation conditions. In addition, water does not influence the oxidation reactions of oleic acid particles, which is partly explained by the structure of oxidation intermediates. The low water solubility of oleic acid and its ozonolysis products limits the effect of water. This is very different for maleic and arachidonic acid, which change their phase from liquid to solid upon oxidation or upon changes in humidity. In a solid particle the reactions of ozone and water with the organic particle are restricted to the particle surface and hence different regimes of reactivity are dictated by particle phase. The potential relevance of these three model systems to mimic ambient atmospheric processes is discussed.     

Electron beam induced purification of dilute off gases from industrial processes and automobile tunnels

The electron beam process has proved to be an efficient method for the removal of inorganic pollutants from flue gas. Since it simulates natural processes which occur in the atmospheric photochemistry, it appeared attractive to investigate the potential of the e-beam process to clean off-gases which contain hydrocarbon and inorganic trace components. Such emissions arise from industrial processes and from automobile tunnels. Commercial solvents were vaporized in air and irradiated with energetic electrons (300 keV). CO, CO₂ and aerosol particles were found as products and were determined quantitatively. The aerosol particles can be collected by a gravel bed filter and can be removed by combustion or biological degradation. From experiments and model calculations it was found that the e-beam process is a very economic tool to remove hydrocarbons from large off-gas volumes at initial concentrations of 50–100 mg C/m³, and that NO_x can be removed very efficiently from tunnel off-gas.     

Mass Spectrometry Study of OH-initiated Photooxidation of Toluene

The composition of products formed from photooxidation of the aromatic hydrocarbon toluene was investigated. The OH-initiated photooxidation experiments were conducted by irradiating toluene/CH₃ONO/NO/air mixtures in a smog chamber, the gaseous products were detected under the supersonic beam conditions by utilizing vacuum ultraviolet pho-toionization mass spectrometer using synchrotron radiation in real-time. And an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer was used to provide on-line measurements of the individ-ual secondary organic aerosol particle resulting from irradiating toluene. The experimen-tal results demonstrated that there were some differences between the gaseous products and that of particle-phase, the products of glyoxal, 2-hydroxyl-3-oxo-butanal, nitrotoluene, and methyl-nitrophenol only existed in the particle-phase. However, furane, methylglyoxal, 2-methylfurane, benzaldehyde, cresol, and benzoic acid were the predominant photooxidation products in both the gas phase and particle phase.     

Gas chromatography active ingredient control of aerosol insecticide from Algerian market

Household insecticide products are common and a popular mode of personal protection against household insect pests in all parts of the world. A chromatographic method for the control of aerosol insecticide active ingredient content was developed to be simple and rapid for the inspection of the numerous products for professional and private uses proposed in the Algerian market. Throughout, the most sold aerosol insecticides only two over eight were fair to the label declaration. However, the product labels need the addition of some details, like the active ingredients concentrations.     

Products and mechanism of secondary organic aerosol formation from reactions of linear alkenes with NO3 radicals

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from reactions of linear alkenes with NO(3) radicals was investigated in an environmental chamber using a thermal desorption particle beam mass spectrometer for particle analysis. A general chemical mechanism was developed to explain the formation of the observed SOA products. The major first-generation SOA products were hydroxynitrates, carbonylnitrates, nitrooxy peroxynitrates, dihydroxynitrates, and dihydroxy peroxynitrates. The major second-generation SOA products were hydroxy and oxo dinitrooxytetrahydrofurans, which have not been observed previously. The latter compounds were formed by a series of reactions in which delta-hydroxycarbonyls isomerize to cyclic hemiacetals, which then dehydrate to form substituted dihydrofurans (unsaturated compounds) that rapidly react with NO(3) radicals to form very low volatility products. For the approximately 1 ppmv alkene concentrations used here, aerosol formed only for alkenes C(7) or larger. SOA formed from C(7)-C(9) alkenes consisted only of second-generation products, whereas for larger alkenes first-generation products were also present and contributions increased with increasing carbon number apparently due to the formation of lower volatility products. The estimated mass fractions of first- and second-generation products were approximately 50:50, 30:70, 10:90, and 0:100, for 1-tetradecene, 1-dodecene, 1-decene, and 1-octene SOA, respectively. This study shows that delta-hydroxycarbonyls play a key role in the formation of SOA in alkene-NO(3) reactions and are likely to be important in other systems because delta-hydroxycarbonyls can also be formed from reactions of OH radicals and O(3) with hydrocarbons.     

Study of Formation Conditions and Characteristics of Carbon-containing Particles Produced from ortho-Xylene by Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

Some fundamental aspects of the aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition of carbon-containing nanoparticles from an aerosol of ortho-xylene are described, including the influence exerted by the pyrolysis temperature and flow rate of the carrier-gas on the size characteristics, structure, and composition of the products being formed. It was shown that the shape, size, and structure of particles are determined by processes occurring in the pyrolysis zone, and its temperature is the most important technological parameter, together with the residence time in the reaction zone of products formed in the decomposition of ortho-xylene. The results obtained are of practical importance and form a basis for development of technology and equipment for producing carboncontaining nanoparticles from an aerosol of ortho-xylene.

     

Thermal behaviour of fentanyl and its analogues during flash pyrolysis

Flash pyrolysis of fentanyl and its analogues has been studied on pyrolysis-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (Py-GC-MS) system. Initial pyrolytic fragmentation of these compounds led to the formation of N-substituted-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine and N-phenylpropanamide as the primary pyrolytic products. Moreover, depending up on the furnace temperature, these pyrolytic products can also undergo further fragmentation to give different compounds. We, herein, discuss the probable fragmentation routes of parent as well as pyrolytic products. This study will be useful while developing technologies for thermal aerosol generation of fentanyl and related compounds.     

Effect of aerosol chemical vapor deposition on characteristics of MoS<Subscript>2</Subscript> particles

Influence exerted by the main technological parameters in the process in which nano- and microparticles of molybdenum disulfide are formed by the aerosol chemical vapor deposition method from a gas phase containing aerosol particles of (NH₄)₂MoS₄?C₃H₇NO solutions on the dimension characteristics, structure, and composition of the products being formed was studied. It was shown that the shape, size, and structure of the particles being formed are determined by the processes occurring in the first, streamwise, reactor zone. The temperature of this zone is the most important technological parameter. The concentration of ammonium thiomolybdate in solution makes it possible to gradually vary the size of disulfide particles in a wide range (from tens of nanometers to micrometers). In the conditions under study, the technological conditions have no effect on the chemical composition of the products being synthesized, which is always described by the formula MoS₂. The results obtained can be used in development of industrial apparatus and technology for synthesis of molybdenum disulfide nano- and microparticles to be used as the antifriction component of lubricating materials.     

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。