Photochemical aging of α-pinene secondary organic aerosol: effects of OH radical sources and photolysis

This study addresses photochemical aging of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) produced from α-pinene ozonolysis. The SOA is aged via hydroxyl radical (OH) reactions with first-generation vapors and UV photolysis. OH radicals are created through tetramethylethylene ozonolysis, HOOH photolysis, or HONO photolysis, sources that vary in OH concentration and the presence or absence of UV illumination. Aging strongly influences observed SOA mass concentrations, but the behavior is complex. In the dark or with high concentrations of OH, vapors are functionalized, lowering their volatility, resulting in an increase in OA by a factor of 2-3. However, with lower concentrations of OH under UV illumination SOA mass concentrations decrease over time. We attribute this decrease to evaporation driven by photolysis of the highly functionalized second-generation products. The photolysis rates are rapid, a few percent of the NO(2) photolysis frequency, and can thus be highly competitive with other aging mechanisms in the atmosphere.     

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.     

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.     

Secondary organic aerosol formation from limonene ozonolysis: homogeneous and heterogeneous influences as a function of NO(x)

Limonene has a high emission rate both from biogenic sources and from household solvents. Here we examine the limonene + ozone reaction as a source for secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Our data show that limonene has very high potential to form SOA and that NO(x) levels, O(3) levels, and UV radiation all influence SOA formation. High SOA formation is observed under conditions where both double bonds in limonene are oxidized, but those conditions depend strongly on NO(x). At low NO(x), heterogeneous oxidation of the terminal double bond follows the initial limonene ozonolysis (at the endocyclic double bond) almost immediately, making the initial reaction rate limiting. This requires a high uptake coefficient between ozone and the first-generation, unsaturated organic particles. However, at high NO(x), this heterogeneous processing is inhibited and gas-phase oxidation of the terminal double bond dominates. Although this chemistry is slower, it also yields products with low volatility. UV light suppresses production of the lowest volatility products, as we have shown in earlier studies of the alpha-pinene + ozone reaction.     

Chemical Composition and Reaction Mechanisms for Aged p‐Xylene Secondary Organic Aerosol in the Presence of Ammonia

A laboratory study was carried out to investigate the chemical composition of aged aromatic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from the photoxidation of p‐xylene in the presence of ammonia (NH₃). The experiments were conducted by irradiating p‐xylene/CH₃ONO/NH₃ air mixtures without and with NO in a home‐made smog chamber. The particulate products of aged p‐ xylene SOA in the presence of NH₃ were measured by UV–vis spectrophotometry, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy, and aerosol laser time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (ALTOFMS) coupled with the fuzzy C‐means (FCM) clustering algorithm. The experimental results show that NH₃ does not alter the gas–particle partitioning in the photoxidation of p‐xylene without NO and that 2,5‐dimethylphenol is the predominant NH₃‐aged p‐xylene SOA without NO. However, NH₃ has a significant promotional effect on the formation of organonitrogen compounds in the OH‐initiated oxidation of p‐xylene with NO. Organic ammonium salts such as ammonium glyoxylate and p‐methyl ammonium benzoate, which are formed from NH₃ reactions with gaseous organic acids, were detected as the major particulate organonitrogen products of NH₃‐aged p‐xylene SOA with NO. 1H‐Imidazole, 4‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole, and other imidazole products of the heterogeneous reactions between NH₃ and dialdehydes of p‐xylene SOA were newly measured. The possible reaction mechanisms leading to these organonitrogen products are also discussed and proposed. The formation of imidazole products suggests that some ambient particles containing organonitrogen compounds may be the result of this mechanism. The results of this study may provide valuable information for discussing anthropogenic SOA aging mechanisms.     

Secondary organic aerosol formation from low-NO(x) photooxidation of dodecane: evolution of multigeneration gas-phase chemistry and aerosol composition

The extended photooxidation of and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from dodecane (C(12)H(26)) under low-NO(x) conditions, such that RO(2) + HO(2) chemistry dominates the fate of the peroxy radicals, is studied in the Caltech Environmental Chamber based on simultaneous gas and particle-phase measurements. A mechanism simulation indicates that greater than 67% of the initial carbon ends up as fourth and higher generation products after 10 h of reaction, and simulated trends for seven species are supported by gas-phase measurements. A characteristic set of hydroperoxide gas-phase products are formed under these low-NO(x) conditions. Production of semivolatile hydroperoxide species within three generations of chemistry is consistent with observed initial aerosol growth. Continued gas-phase oxidation of these semivolatile species produces multifunctional low volatility compounds. This study elucidates the complex evolution of the gas-phase photooxidation chemistry and subsequent SOA formation through a novel approach comparing molecular level information from a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) and high m/z ion fragments from an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). Combination of these techniques reveals that particle-phase chemistry leading to peroxyhemiacetal formation is the likely mechanism by which these species are incorporated in the particle phase. The current findings are relevant toward understanding atmospheric SOA formation and aging from the "unresolved complex mixture," comprising, in part, long-chain alkanes.     

Building an oxidation reactor in Taiwan: From volatile organic compounds to secondary organic aerosols

Large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted into the atmosphere from both human and natural sources. A significant portion of VOCs would be oxidized via their reactions with atmospheric oxidants like OH, NO₃, ozone, etc. The products of the oxidation reactions are often of low volatility and may condense to form secondary organic aerosols (SOA). To study the effect of VOC oxidation in aerosol formation, we are building an oxidation flow reactor system, which consists of (1) a 22-l aluminum chamber, (2) an ozone source with an ozone detector, (3) a UV-C (254 nm) lamp, (4) a photoionization detector to measure the effective VOC concentration, (5) various flow/concentration controlling apparatuses, and (6) a scanning mobility particle sizer to monitor the generated particles. Under the conditions of high UV and ozone levels, the oxidation process can be speeded up by orders of magnitude in this reactor. We hope to use this reactor: (i) to learn the “potential” mass of SOA that can be formed from a given VOC source like a traffic or industry site; (ii) to trace back the SOA source by utilizing the shortened reaction times; (iii) to learn the trends from VOC to SOA.     

High-resolution mass spectrometric analysis of secondary organic aerosol produced by ozonation of limonene

Chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from the ozone-initiated oxidation of limonene is characterized by high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in both positive and negative ion modes. The mass spectra reveal a large number of both monomeric (m/z < 300) and oligomeric (m/z > 300) condensed products of oxidation. A combination of high resolving power (m/Deltam approximately 60,000) and Kendrick mass defect analysis makes it possible to unambiguously determine the molecular composition of hundreds of individual compounds in SOA samples. Van Krevelen analysis shows that the SOA compounds are heavily oxidized, with average O : C ratios of 0.43 and 0.50 determined from the positive and negative ion mode spectra, respectively. A possible reaction mechanism for the formation of the first generation SOA molecular components is considered. The discussed mechanism includes known isomerization and addition reactions of the carbonyl oxide intermediates generated during the ozonation of limonene. In addition, it includes isomerization and decomposition pathways for alkoxy radicals resulting from unimolecular decomposition of carbonyl oxides that have been disregarded by previous studies. The isomerization reactions yield numerous products with a progressively increasing number of alcohol and carbonyl groups, whereas C-C bond scission reactions in alkoxy radicals shorten the carbon chain. Together these reactions yield a large number of isomeric products with broadly distributed masses. A qualitative agreement is found between the number and degree of oxidation of the predicted and measured reaction products in the monomer product range.     

The gas-phase ozonolysis of α-humulene

α-Humulene contains three double bonds (DB), and after ozonolysis of the first DB the first-generation products are still reactive towards O(3) and produce second- and third-generation products. The primary aim of this study consisted of identifying the products of the three generations, focusing on the carboxylic acids, which are known to have a high aerosol formation potential. The experiments were performed in a 570 litre spherical glass reactor at 295 K and 730 Torr. Initial mixing ratios were 260-2090 ppb for O(3) and 250-600 ppb for α-humulene in synthetic air. Reactants and gas-phase products were measured by in situ FTIR spectroscopy. Particulate products were sampled on Teflon filters, extracted with methanol and analyzed by LC-MS/MS-TOF. Using cyclohexane (10-100 ppm) as an OH-radical scavenger and by monitoring the yield of cyclohexanone by PTR-MS, an OH-yield of (10.5 ± 0.7)% was determined for the ozonolysis of the first DB, and (12.9 ± 0.7)% of the first-generation products. The rate constant of the reaction of O(3) with α-humulene is known as k(0) = 1.17 × 10(-14) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) [Y. Shu and R. Atkinson, Int. J. Chem. Kinet., 1994, 26, 1193-1205]. The reaction rate constants of O(3) with the first-generation products and the second-generation products were, respectively, determined as k(1) = (3.6 ± 0.9) × 10(-16) and k(2) = (3.0 ± 0.7) × 10(-17) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) by Facsimile-simulation of the observed ozone decay by FTIR. A total of 37 compounds in the aerosol phase and 5 products in the gas phase were tentatively identified: 25 compounds of the first-generation products contained C13-C15 species, 9 compounds of the second-generation products contained C8-C11 species, whereas 8 compounds of the third-generation products contained C4-C6 species. The products of all three generations consisted of a variety of dicarboxylic-, hydroxy-oxocarboxylic- and oxo-carboxylic acids. The formation mechanisms of some of the products are discussed. The residual FTIR spectra indicate the formation of secondary ozonides (SOZ) in the gas phase, which are formed by the intramolecular reaction of the Criegee moiety with the carbonyl endgroup. These SOZ revealed to be stable over several hours and its formation was shown not to be affected by the addition of Criegee-radical scavengers such as HCOOH or H(2)O. This suggests that in the ozonolysis of α-humulene at atmospheric pressures the POZ will decompose rapidly, and that a large fraction of the formed exited Criegee Intermediate will be stabilized to form stable SOZ, while the formation of OH-radicals via the hydroperoxide channel will be a minor process.     

Chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol formed from the photooxidation of isoprene

Recent work in our laboratory has shown that the photooxidation of isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, C(5)H(8)) leads to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In the current study, the chemical composition of SOA from the photooxidation of isoprene over the full range of NO(x) conditions is investigated through a series of controlled laboratory chamber experiments. SOA composition is studied using a wide range of experimental techniques: electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry, high-resolution mass spectrometry, online aerosol mass spectrometry, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and an iodometric-spectroscopic method. Oligomerization was observed to be an important SOA formation pathway in all cases; however, the nature of the oligomers depends strongly on the NO(x) level, with acidic products formed under high-NO(x) conditions only. We present, to our knowledge, the first evidence of particle-phase esterification reactions in SOA, where the further oxidation of the isoprene oxidation product methacrolein under high-NO(x) conditions produces polyesters involving 2-methylglyceric acid as a key monomeric unit. These oligomers comprise approximately 22-34% of the high-NO(x) SOA mass. Under low-NO(x) conditions, organic peroxides contribute significantly to the low-NO(x) SOA mass (approximately 61% when SOA forms by nucleation and approximately 25-30% in the presence of seed particles). The contribution of organic peroxides in the SOA decreases with time, indicating photochemical aging. Hemiacetal dimers are found to form from C(5) alkene triols and 2-methyltetrols under low-NO(x) conditions; these compounds are also found in aerosol collected from the Amazonian rainforest, demonstrating the atmospheric relevance of these low-NO(x) chamber experiments.     

Products of the reaction of hydroxyl radicals with trans-2-butene in the presence of oxygen and nitrogen dioxide

The reactions of hydroxy-substituted alkyl radicals, formed as secondary products in the reaction of ozone with trans-2-butene, have been identified in photoionization mass spectrometry studies, using acetaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide as free-radical scavengers. Products derived from 2-hydroxy-1-methylpropl in the absence of scavengers include 2,3-butanedione (diacetyl), 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (acetoin),and 2,3-butanediol. In the presence of added acetaldehyde or nitrogen dioxide, the formation of these products is suppressed. In addition, with added nitrogen dioxide, new products are formed which have been identified as a series of oxoalkyl and hydroxy-substituted-alkyl nitrates and peroxynitrates. These observations may have an important bearing on the chemistry of photochemical smog.     

Pressure dependent mechanistic branching in the formation pathways of secondary organic aerosol from cyclic-alkene gas-phase ozonolysis

The gas-phase ozonolysis of cyclic-alkenes (1-methyl-cyclohexene, methylene-cyclohexane, α-pinene, β-pinene) is studied with respect to the pressure dependent formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). We find that SOA formation is substantially suppressed at lower pressures for all alkenes under study. The suppression coincides with the formation of ketene (α-pinene, 1-methyl-cyclohexene), ethene (1-methyl-cyclohexene) and the increased formation of CO (all alkenes) at lower reaction pressures. The formation of these products is independent of the presence of an OH scavenger and explained by an increased chemical activation of intermediate species in the hydroperoxide channel after the OH elimination. These findings underline the central role of the hydroperoxide pathway for SOA formation and give insight into the gas-phase ozonolysis mechanism after the stage of the Criegee intermediate chemistry.     

Secondary organic aerosol formation during the photooxidation of toluene: NOx dependence of chemical composition

The photooxidation of toluene is a potential source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in urban air, but only a small portion of the compounds present in SOA have been identified. In this study, we analyzed the chemical compositions of SOA produced by photoirradiation of the toluene/NOx/air system in laboratory chamber experiments by a combination of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, hybrid high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and iodometry-spectrophotometry. The dependence of the chemical composition on the initial NOx concentration was examined at initial NO concentrations ([NO]0) of 0.2 and 1 ppmv. Fifteen semivolatile products, including aromatic and ring-cleavage compounds, were quantified. However, the quantified products comprised only a small portion ( approximately 1 wt %) of the total aerosol mass. The total SOA yield ( approximately 13 wt %), the ratio of organic peroxides to total SOA mass ( approximately 17 wt %), and the density of SOA ( approximately 1.4 g cm-3) were independent of the NOx level, suggesting that the reaction mechanisms of the formation of major SOA products at [NO]0 = 0.2 and 1 ppmv are essentially the same. The negative-ion mass spectra of SOA samples showed that ion signals attributed to hemiacetal oligomers and/or decomposition products of peroxy hemiacetal oligomers were detected in the range of mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) between 200 and 500. The highest signals were detected at m/z = 155 and 177, and these were tentatively assigned to C7 unsaturated oxacyclic oxocarboxylic acids and C7 unsaturated oxacyclic dicarboxylic acids, respectively. We conclude that the major chemical components of the aerosol are hemiacetal and peroxy hemiacetal oligomers and low-molecular-weight dicarboxylic acids.     

Photo-oxidation of Isoprene with Organic Seed: Estimates of Aerosol Size Distributions Evolution and Formation Rates

ondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from OH-initiated photo-oxidation of isoprene in the presence of organic seed aerosol. The dependence of the size distributions of SOA on both the level of pre-existing particles generated in situ from the photo-oxidation of trace hydrocarbons of indoor atmosphere and the concentration of precursor, has been investi-gated. It was shown that in the presence of high-level seed aerosol and low-level isoprene (typical urban atmospheric conditions), particle growth due to condensation of secondary organic products on pre-existing particles dominated; while in the presence of low-level seed aerosol and comparatively high-level isoprene (typical atmospheric conditions in rural re-gion), bimodal structures appeared in the size distributions of SOA, which corresponded to new particle formation resulting from homogeneous nucleation and particle growth due to condensation of secondary organic products on the per-existing particles respectively. The effects of concentrations of organic seed particles on SOA were also investigated. The particle size distributions evolutions as well as the corresponding formation rates of new particles indifferent conditions were also estimated.     

Real-time detection of individual secondary organic aerosol particle from photooxidation of toluene using aerosol time of flight mass spectrometer

Aromatic hydrocarbons are air pollutants in urban atmosphere and mainly from anthropogenic sources, i.e., emission from automotive exhaust and productive process of industry, and they constitute an important fraction of total volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Photochemical ozone and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) could be formed from the photochemical proc- esses of aromatic hydrocarbons. SOA may impact visibility of air, formation of clouds, change of the climate, and human health serio…     

Oligomer Formation Pathways in Secondary Organic Aerosol from MS and MS/MS Measurements with High Mass Accuracy and Resolving Power

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is formed when organic molecules react with oxidants in the gas phase to form particulate matter. Recent measurements have shown that more than half of the mass of laboratory-generated SOA consists of high molecular weight oligomeric compounds. In this work, the formation mechanisms of oligomers produced in the laboratory by ozonolysis of α-pinene, an important SOA precursor in ambient air, are studied by MS and MS/MS measurements with high accuracy and resolving power to characterize monomer building blocks and the reactions that couple them together. The distribution of oligomers in an SOA sample is complex, typically yielding over 1000 elemental formulas that can be assigned from an electrospray ionization mass spectrum. Despite this complexity, MS/MS spectra can be found that give strong evidence for specific oligomer formation pathways that have been postulated but not confirmed. These include aldol and gem-diol reactions of carbonyls as well as peroxyhemiacetal formation from hydroperoxides. The strongest evidence for carbonyl reactions is in the formation of hydrated products. Less compelling evidence is found for dehydrated products and secondary ozonide formation. The number of times that a monomer building block is observed as a fragmentation product in the MS/MS spectra is shown to be independent of the monomer vapor pressure, suggesting that oligomer formation is not driven by equilibrium partitioning of a monomer between the gas and particle phases, but rather by reactive uptake where a monomer collides with the particle surface and rapidly forms an oligomer.     

Mechanisms of reaction of aminoxyl (nitroxide), iminoxyl, and imidoxyl radicals with alkenes and evidence that in the presence of lead tetraacetate, N-hydroxyphthalimide reacts with alkenes by both radical and nonradical mechanisms

1,2-dideuterio-cyclohexene, 1,2-dideuterio-cyclooctene, and trans-3,4-dideuterio-hex-3-ene were reacted with three >NO* radicals: 4-hydroxyTempo, di-tert-butyliminoxyl, both used as the actual radicals, and phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) generated from N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) by its reaction with tert-alkoxyl radicals (t-RO*) and with lead tetraacetate. In all cases, except the NHPI/Pb(OAc)4 system, only mono >NO-substituted alkenes were produced. The 2H NMR spectra imply that 88-92% of monoadducts were formed by the initial abstraction of an allylic H-atom, followed by capture of the allylic radical by a second >NO*, while the remaining 12-8% appear to be formed by an initial addition of >NO* to the double bond followed by H-atom abstraction by a second >NO*. A substantial and sometimes the major product formed with the NHPI/Pb(OAc)4 system has two PINO moieties added across the double bond. Since such diadducts are not formed with the NHPI/t-RO* system, a heterolytic mechanism is proposed, analogous to that known for the Pb(OAc)4-induced acetoxylation of alkenes. A detailed analysis of the NHPI/Pb(OAc)4/alkene products indicates that monosubstitution occurs by both homolytic and heterolytic processes.     

The statistical evolution of multiple generations of oxidation products in the photochemical aging of chemically reduced organic aerosol

The heterogeneous reactions of hydroxyl radicals (OH) with squalane and bis(2-ethylhexyl) sebacate (BES) particles are used as model systems to examine how distributions of reaction products evolve during the oxidation of chemically reduced organic aerosol. A kinetic model of multigenerational chemistry, which is compared to previously measured (squalane) and new (BES) experimental data, reveals that it is the statistical mixtures of different generations of oxidation products that control the average particle mass and elemental composition during the reaction. The model suggests that more highly oxidized reaction products, although initially formed with low probability, play a large role in the production of gas phase reaction products. In general, these results highlight the importance of considering atmospheric oxidation as a statistical process, further suggesting that the underlying distribution of molecules could play important roles in aerosol formation as well as in the evolution of key physicochemical properties such as volatility and hygroscopicity.     

Aqueous-phase OH oxidation of glyoxal: application of a novel analytical approach employing aerosol mass spectrometry and complementary off-line techniques

Aqueous-phase chemistry of glyoxal may play an important role in the formation of highly oxidized secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere. In this work, we use a novel design of photochemical reactor that allows for simultaneous photo-oxidation and atomization of a bulk solution to study the aqueous-phase OH oxidation of glyoxal. By employing both online aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) and offline ion chromatography (IC) measurements, glyoxal and some major products including formic acid, glyoxylic acid, and oxalic acid in the reacting solution were simultaneously quantified. This is the first attempt to use AMS in kinetics studies of this type. The results illustrate the formation of highly oxidized products that likely coexist with traditional SOA materials, thus, potentially improving model predictions of organic aerosol mass loading and degree of oxidation. Formic acid is the major volatile species identified, but the atmospheric relevance of its formation chemistry needs to be further investigated. While successfully quantifying low molecular weight organic oxygenates and tentatively identifying a reaction product formed directly from glyoxal and hydrogen peroxide, comparison of the results to the offline total organic carbon (TOC) analysis clearly shows that the AMS is not able to quantitatively monitor all dissolved organics in the bulk solution. This is likely due to their high volatility or low stability in the evaporated solution droplets. This experimental approach simulates atmospheric aqueous phase processing by conducting oxidation in the bulk phase, followed by evaporation of water and volatile organics to form SOA.     

Secondary organic aerosol from limona ketone: insights into terpene ozonolysis via synthesis of key intermediates

Limona ketone was synthesized to explore the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation mechanism from limonene ozonolysis and also to test group-additivity concepts describing the volatility distribution of ozonolysis products from similar precursors. Limona ketone SOA production is indistinguishable from alpha-pinene, confirming the expected similarity. However, limona ketone SOA production is significantly less intense than limonene SOA production. The very low vapor pressure of limonene ozonolysis products is consistent with full oxidation of both double bonds in limonene and furthermore with production of products other than ketones after oxidation of the exo double bond in limonene. Mass-balance constraints confirm that ketone products from exo double-bond ozonolysis have a minimal contribution to the ultimate product yield. These results serve as the foundation for an emerging framework to describe the effect on volatility of successive generations of organic compounds in the atmosphere.