Lichens as biomonitors for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Caracas Valley,Venezuela

Biomonitoring of PAH air pollution using lichens was carried out. Sixteen PAHs were studied in 11 locations along the valley of Caracas (Venezuela). The results of this work indicate that 14 of the 16 analysed PAHs were highly accumulated into the lichen thalli of Pyxine coralligera Malme. PAH levels in the samples revealed that the several volatile PAHs (naphthalene, acenaphtylene, acenaphtene, and fluoranthene) have the highest levels in the majority of the studied locations. The fluoranthene/pyrene and phenantrene/antracene ratios suggested that the major sources of PAHs are anthropogenic, mainly associated with gasoline and diesel combustion (pyrolytic) and unburnt oil derivates (petrogenic). The total PAH concentrations obtained in the present study were in the range of 0.24 to 9.08?µg/g, similar to those reported by other works in European and Asian cities.     

Analysis of marine atmospheric turbulence effects on infrared imaging system by angle of arrival fluctuations

For the long-range infrared imaging system, the marine atmospheric turbulence degrades seriously the probability of object recognition and tracking. In this study, the angle of arrival fluctuations of an optical wave, which describes the distortion effects of marine atmospheric turbulence on an infrared optical imaging system, is investigated in detail both analytically and numerically. Analytic expressions of the angle of arrival fluctuations are derived for optical plane and spherical waves propagating through weak marine atmospheric turbulence with horizontal path, and they consider simultaneously finite turbulence inner scale, turbulence outer scale, wavelength, and aperture diameters. Numerical calculations are conducted to analyze the influence of marine weak turbulence on the infrared imaging. The results are useful for understanding the potential impact of deviations from the terrestrial turbulence.     

Pulsed microwave-driven argon plasma jet with distinctive plume patterns resonantly excited by surface plasmon polaritons

Atmospheric lower-power pulsed microwave argon cold plasma jets are obtained by using coaxial transmission line resonators in ambient air.The plasma jet plumes are generated at the end of a metal wire placed in the middle of the dielectric tubes.The electromagnetic model analyses and simulation results suggest that the discharges are excited resonantly by the enhanced electric field of surface plasmon polaritons.Moreover,for conquering the defect of atmospheric argon filamentation discharges excited by 2.45-GHz of continued microwave,the distinctive patterns of the plasma jet plumes can be maintained by applying different gas flow rates of argon gas,frequencies of pulsed modulator,duty cycles of pulsed microwave,peak values of input microwave power,and even by using different materials of dielectric tubes.In addition,the emission spectrum,the plume temperature,and other plasma parameters are measured,which shows that the proposed pulsed microwave plasma jets can be adjusted for plasma biomedical applications.     

Assessment of the various ionization methods in the analysis of metal salen complexes by mass spectrometry

Metal salen complexes are one of the most frequently used catalysts in enantioselective organic synthesis. In the present work, we compare a series of ionization methods that can be used for the mass spectral analysis of two types of metalosalens: ionic complexes (abbreviated as Com⁺X^?) and neutral complexes (NCom). These methods include electron ionization and field desorption (FD) which can be applied to pure samples and atmospheric pressure ionization techniques: electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) which are suitable for solutions. We found that FD is a method of choice for recording molecular ions of the complexes containing even loosely bonded ligands. The results obtained using atmospheric pressure ionization methods show that the results depend mainly on the structure of metal salen complex and the ionization method. In ESI spectra, Com⁺ ions were observed, while in APCI and APPI spectra both Com⁺ and [Com + H]⁺ ions are observed in the ratio depending on the structure of the metal salen complex and the solvent used in the analysis. For complexes with tetrafluoroborate counterion, an elimination of BF₃ took place, and ions corresponding to complexes with fluoride counterion were observed. Experiments comparing the relative sensitivity of ESI, APCI and APPI (with and without a dopant) methods showed that for the majority of the studied complexes ESI is the most sensitive one; however, the sensitivity of APCI is usually less than two times lower and for some compounds is even higher than the sensitivity of ESI. Both methods show very high linearity of the calibration curve in a range of about 3 orders of magnitude of the sample concentration. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid Autoxidation Forms Highly Oxidized RO2 Radicals in the Atmosphere

Gas‐phase oxidation routes of biogenic emissions, mainly isoprene and monoterpenes, in the atmosphere are still the subject of intensive research with special attention being paid to the formation of aerosol constituents. This laboratory study shows that the most abundant monoterpenes (limonene and α‐pinene) form highly oxidized RO₂ radicals with up to 12 O atoms, along with related closed‐shell products, within a few seconds after the initial attack of ozone or OH radicals. The overall process, an intramolecular ROO→QOOH reaction and subsequent O₂ addition generating a next R′OO radical, is similar to the well‐known autoxidation processes in the liquid phase (QOOH stands for a hydroperoxyalkyl radical). Field measurements show the relevance of this process to atmospheric chemistry. Thus, the well‐known reaction principle of autoxidation is also applicable to the atmospheric gas‐phase oxidation of hydrocarbons leading to extremely low‐volatility products which contribute to organic aerosol mass and hence influence the aerosol–cloud–climate system.     

Hydrolysis of HNSO2: A potential route for atmospheric production of H2SO4 and NH3

The hydrolysis of sulfonylamine (HNSO₂) results in the formation of sulfuric acid along with ammonia, and is of significant interest due to their negative impact on environment and life on Earth. The formation of H₂SO₄ through the reaction of HNSO₂ with (H₂O)_2-4 has been studied using high level electronic structure calculations. This hydrolysis reaction is a step-wise process, in the first step a H-atom from H₂O is transferred to the N-atom of HNSO₂ which results in the formation of NH₂, and in the next step, H₂SO₄, NH₃ and water molecule(s) are formed. The results show that the energy barrier associated with the formation of intermediates and product complexes is reduced by 7 to 10 kcal/mol when the number of water molecules is increased from 2 to 4. The rate constant was calculated using canonical variational transition state theory with small curvature tunneling correction over the temperature range of 200 to 1000 K. At 298 K, the calculated rate constant for the formation of intermediate in the first step is 2.24 × 10⁻¹⁶, 1.03 × 10⁻¹², and 2.10 × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively, for the reaction with water dimer, trimer and tetramer. The calculated enthalpy and free energy show that the reaction corresponding to the formation of H₂SO₄ is highly exothermic and exoergic in nature.     

硝酰氯的大气化学

硝酰氯(nitryl chloride,ClNO₂)是大气中一种重要的气态污染物,对大气氧化性、一次污染物的降解和二次污染物的生成具有重要影响,并在全球氮循环和氯循环中扮演着不可忽视的角色。本文归纳了ClNO₂的基本物理化学性质及其在大气中的生成和去除机制,并介绍了实验室研究和外场观测中ClNO₂的主要测量方法。在此基础上,本文总结了过去十几年报道的ClNO₂在实际大气中的时空分布特征,通过分析实验室模拟和外场观测的研究结果系统讨论了ClNO₂非均相生成的机制、产率及其影响因素,探讨了ClNO₂对氯自由基、大气氧化性以及臭氧和硝酸盐形成的影响。我们指出,ClNO₂既耦合了气相化学和非均相化学,又耦合了夜间大气化学和日间光化学,在我国大气复合污染中可能起着非常重要的作用。最后,本文提出了ClNO₂大气化学研究中尚待解决的关键科学问题,并简要讨论了该领域的未来发展方向。     

Sorbents for the Direct Capture of CO2 from Ambient Air

The urgency to address global climate change induced by greenhouse gas emissions is increasing. In particular, the rise in atmospheric CO₂ levels is generating alarm. Technologies to remove CO₂ from ambient air, or “direct air capture” (DAC), have recently demonstrated that they can contribute to “negative carbon emission.” Recent advances in surface chemistry and material synthesis have resulted in new generations of CO₂ sorbents, which may drive the future of DAC and its large‐scale deployment. This Review describes major types of sorbents designed to capture CO₂ from ambient air and they are categorized by the sorption mechanism: physisorption, chemisorption, and moisture‐swing sorption.     

Water Catalysis of the Reaction of Methanol with OH Radical in the Atmosphere is Negligible

Faced with the contradictory results of two recent experimental studies [Jara‐Toro et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017 , 56, 2166 and Chao et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019 , 58, 5013] of the possible catalytic effect of water vapor on CH₃OH + OH reaction, we report calculations that corroborate the conclusion made by Chao et al. and extend the rate constant evaluation down to 200 K. The rate constants of the CH₃OH + OH reaction catalyzed by a water molecule are computed as functions of temperature and relative humidity using high‐level electronic structure and kinetics calculations. The Wuhan–Minnesota Scaling (WMS) method is used to provide accurate energetics to benchmark a density functional for direct dynamics. Both high‐frequency and low‐frequency anharmonicities are included. Variational and tunneling effects are treated by canonical variational transition state theory with multidimensional small‐curvature tunneling. And, most significantly, we include multistructural effects in the rate constant calculations. Our calculations show that the catalytic effect of water vapor is not observable at 200–400 K.     

大气环境下的钢筋混凝土桥梁时变可靠度分析

为了探究钢筋混凝土桥梁抗力退化对桥梁可靠性能的影响,综合考虑一般大气环境下混凝土强度、钢筋强度、混凝土与钢筋黏结性能的降低,建立普通钢筋混凝土桥梁的抗力退化时变模型,分析规范车辆荷载作用的桥梁时变可靠度。研究结果表明,(1)一般大气环境下,桥梁抗力随着服役时间的增加而减小,其中钢筋强度退化对桥梁抗力的影响最大,其次是钢筋与混凝土黏结性能降低,而混凝土强度退化对桥梁抗力的影响相对较小; (2)桥梁可靠指标随着服役时间的增加而减小,密集行车占比越大,桥梁承载能力失效的概率就越大;非平稳车载作用下的桥梁可靠指标小于平稳车载,桥梁需要维修补强的时间比平稳车载提前; (3)多梁式简支梁桥在建造时应该提高边梁的安全储备,在管养时可以采取限载措施进行干预。