Oxidation of oleic acid and oleic acid/sodium chloride(aq) mixture droplets with ozone: changes of hygroscopicity and role of secondary reactions

The heterogeneous reactions of oleic acid (OL) and oleic-acid/sodium-chloride(aq) (OL/NaCl(aq)) mixture droplets with ozone are studied at two relative humidities (RH). The reactions were monitored concomitantly using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR) for the organic species and UV-vis spectrometry for the ozone concentration in order to investigate reaction rate discrepancies reported in literature as well as the oxidation mechanism. The less volatile products were identified and resolved by a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FT-ICR-MS). This led to identification of 13 organic molecules (up to 45 carbons). Identified products were predominantly composed by nananoic acid and azelaic acid. Our results suggest that the propagation reaction is possibly initiated by a secondary reaction such as the stabilized Criegee intermediates reacting with oleic acid. For hygroscopic properties, the ATR-IR spectra at high RH (87 +/- 5%) showed that the hydrophobic oleic acid droplets can take up water slightly when exposed to ozone. For internally mixed OL/NaCl(aq) droplets, the hygroscopic properties of the droplets upon ozone exposure were found to be complex; hygroscopic properties or the growth factors of the droplets are altered as the oxidation products of oleic acid exist concurrently with NaCl(aq). Furthermore, the concentration of ozone was monitored to examine the kinetics of the oxidation reaction. The integrated ozone profile recorded by UV-vis spectrometry showed the consumed ozone represents only 30 +/- 2% of total oleic acid and hence confirmed the existence of secondary reactions. A kinetic model was used to simulate an ozone temporal profile that could only be described if the secondary reactions were included. The discrepancy of ozone uptake coefficients according to the OL and ozone measurements as well as their atmospheric implications are herein discussed.