Projects per year
Abstract
Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is well-known to have adverse effects on air quality and human health. However, the dynamic mechanisms occurring during SOA formation and evolution are poorly understood. The time-resolved SOA composition formed during the photo-oxidation of three aromatic compounds, methyl chavicol, toluene and 4-methyl catechol, were investigated at the European Photoreactor. SOA was collected using a particle into liquid sampler and analyzed offline using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry to produce temporal profiles of individual photo-oxidation products. In the photo-oxidation of methyl chavicol, 70 individual compounds were characterized and three distinctive temporal profile shapes were observed. The calculated mass fraction (Ci,aer/COA) of the individual SOA compounds showed either a linear trend (increasing/decreasing) or exponential decay with time. Substituted nitrophenols showed an exponential decay, with the nitro-group on the aromatic ring found to control the formation and loss of these species in the aerosol phase. Nitrophenols from both methyl chavicol and toluene photo-oxidation experiments showed a strong relationship with the NO2/NO (ppbv/ppbv) ratio and were observed during initial SOA growth. The location of the nitrophenol aromatic substitutions was found to be critically important, with the nitrophenol in the photo-oxidation of 4-methyl catechol not partitioning into the aerosol phase until irradiation had stopped; highlighting the importance of studying SOA formation and evolution at a molecular level.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 13168-13178 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Environmental Science & Technology |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 22 |
Early online date | 16 Oct 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 17 Nov 2015 |
Bibliographical note
doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03377Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Insights into the Formation and Evolution of Individual Compounds in the Particulate Phase during Aromatic Photo-Oxidation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 2 Finished
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Reactions of stabilised criegee intermediates in the atmosphere: Implications for tropospheric composition & Climate
Natural Environment Research Council
31/03/13 → 30/03/16
Project: Research Councils
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Total radical production and degradation products from alkene ozonolysis
Natural Environment Research Council
14/01/08 → 13/01/11
Project: Research Councils