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N. H. Robinson,
J. F. Hamilton,
J. D. Allan,
Langford B,
D. E. Oram, Chen Q,
Docherty K,
D. K. Farmer,
J. L. Jimenez,
M. W. Ward,
C. N. Hewitt,
M. H. Barley,
M. E. Jenkin,
A. R. Rickard,
S. T. Martin,
McFiggans G,
Coe H
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ABSTRACT: Isoprene is the most abundant non-methane biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC), but the processes governing secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from isoprene oxidation are only beginning to become understood and selective quantification of the atmospheric particulate burden remains difficult. Organic aerosol above a tropical rainforest located in Danum Valley, Borneo, Malaysia, a high isoprene emission region, was studied during Summer 2008 using Aerosol Mass Spectrometry and offline detailed characterisation using comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography. Observations indicate that a substantial fraction (up to 15% by mass) of atmospheric sub-micron organic aerosol was observed as methylfuran (MF) after thermal desorption. This observation was associated with the simultaneous measurements of established gas-phase isoprene oxidation products methylvinylketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR). Observations of MF were also made during experimental chamber oxidation of isoprene. Positive matrix factorisation of the AMS organic mass spectral time series produced a robust factor which accounts for an average of 23% (0.18 μg m−3), reaching as much as 53% (0.50 μg m−3) of the total oraganic loading, identified by (and highly correlated with) a strong MF signal. Assuming that this factor is generally representative of isoprene SOA, isoprene derived aerosol plays a significant role in the region. Comparisons with measurements from other studies suggest this type of isoprene SOA plays a role in other isoprene dominated environments, albeit with varying significance.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 01/2011;
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ABSTRACT: The production of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) by the dark ozonolysis of gas-phase β-caryophyllene was studied. The experiments were conducted in a continuous-flow environmental chamber for organic particle mass concentrations of 0.5 to 30 μg m−3 and with ozone in excess, thereby allowing the study of second-generation particle-phase products under atmospherically relevant conditions. The particle-phase products were characterized by an ultra-performance liquid chromatograph equipped with an electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-ESI-ToF-MS). Fragmentation mass spectra were used for the structural elucidation of each product, and the structures were confirmed as consistent with the accurate m/z values of the parent ions. In total, fifteen products were identified. Of these, three are reported for the first time. The structures showed that 9 out of 15 particle-phase products were second generation, including all three of the new products. The relative abundance of the second-generation products was approximately 90% by mass among the 15 observed products. The O:C and H:C elemental ratios of the 15 products ranged from 0.13 to 0.50 and from 1.43 to 1.60, respectively. Fourteen of the products contained 3 to 5 oxygen atoms. A singular product, which was one of the three newly identified ones, had 7 oxygen atoms, including 1 carboxylic group, 2 carbonyl groups, and 3 hydroxyl groups. It was identified as 2, 3-dihydroxy-4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-oxobutyl)-3, 3-dimethylcyclobutyl]-4-oxobutanoic acid (C14H22O7). The estimated saturation vapor pressure of this product is 3.3×10−13 Pa, making this product a candidate contributor to new particle formation in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 01/2011;
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S. T. Martin,
M. O. Andreae,
Althausen D,
Artaxo P,
Baars H,
Borrmann S, Chen Q,
D. K. Farmer,
Guenther A,
S. S. Gunthe, [......],
A. J. Prenni,
Pöschl U,
L. V. Rizzo,
Schneider J,
J. N. Smith,
Swietlicki E,
Tota J,
Wang J,
Wiedensohler A,
S. R. Zorn
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ABSTRACT: The Amazon Basin provides an excellent environment for studying the sources, transformations, and properties of natural aerosol particles and the resulting links between biological processes and climate. With this framework in mind, the Amazonian Aerosol Characterization Experiment (AMAZE-08), carried out from 7 February to 14 March 2008 during the wet season in the central Amazon Basin, sought to understand the formation, transformations, and cloud-forming properties of fine- and coarse-mode biogenic aerosol particles, especially as related to their effects on cloud activation and regional climate. Special foci included (1) the production mechanisms of secondary organic components at a pristine continental site, including the factors regulating their temporal variability, and (2) predicting and understanding the cloud-forming properties of biogenic particles at such a site. In this overview paper, the field site and the instrumentation employed during the campaign are introduced. Observations and findings are reported, including the large-scale context for the campaign, especially as provided by satellite observations. New findings presented include: (i) a particle number-diameter distribution from 10 nm to 10 μm that is representative of the pristine tropical rain forest and recommended for model use; (ii) the absence of substantial quantities of primary biological particles in the submicron mode as evidenced by mass spectral characterization; (iii) the large-scale production of secondary organic material; (iv) insights into the chemical and physical properties of the particles as revealed by thermodenuder-induced changes in the particle number-diameter distributions and mass spectra; and (v) comparisons of ground-based predictions and satellite-based observations of hydrometeor phase in clouds. A main finding of AMAZE-08 is the dominance of secondary organic material as particle components. The results presented here provide mechanistic insight and quantitative parameters that can serve to increase the accuracy of models of the formation, transformations, and cloud-forming properties of biogenic natural aerosol particles, especially as related to their effects on cloud activation and regional climate.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 01/2010;
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S. T. Martin,
M. O. Andreae,
Althausen D,
Artaxo P,
Baars H,
Borrmann S, Chen Q,
D. K. Farmer,
Guenther A,
S. S. Gunthe, [......],
A. J. Prenni,
Pöschl U,
L. V. Rizzo,
Schneider J,
J. N. Smith,
Swietlicki E,
Tota J,
Wang J,
Wiedensohler A,
S. R. Zorn
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 01/2010;
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ABSTRACT: The cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) properties of ammonium sulfate particles mixed with organic material condensed during the hydroxyl-radical-initiated photooxidation of isoprene (C5H8) were investigated in the continuous-flow Harvard Environmental Chamber. CCN activation curves were measured for organic particle mass concentrations of 0.5 to 10.0 μg m−3, NOx concentrations from under 0.4 ppbv up to 38 ppbv, particle mobility diameters from 70 to 150 nm, and thermodenuder temperatures from 25 to 100 °C. At 25 °C, the observed CCN activation curves were accurately described by a Köhler model having two internally mixed components, namely ammonium sulfate and secondary organic material. The modeled physicochemical parameters of the organic material were equivalent to an effective hygroscopicity parameter κORG of 0.10±0.03, regardless of the C5H8:NOx concentration ratio for the span of >200:0.4 to 50:38 (ppbv:ppbv). The volatilization curves (i.e., plots of the residual organic volume fraction against temperature) were also similar for the span of investigated C5H8:NOx ratios, suggesting a broad similarity of particle chemical composition. This suggestion was supported by limited variance at 25 °C among the particle mass spectra. For example, the signal intensity at m/z 44 (which can result from the fragmentation of oxidized molecules believed to affect hygroscopicity and CCN properties) varied weakly from 6 to 9% across the range of investigated conditions. In contradistinction to the results for 25 °C, conditioning up to 100 °C in the thermodenuder significantly reduced CCN activity. The altered CCN activity might be explained by chemical reactions (e.g., decomposition or oligomerization) of the secondary organic material at elevated temperatures. The study's results at 25 °C, in conjunction with the results of other chamber and field studies for a diverse range of conditions, suggest that a value of 0.10±0.05 for κORG is representative of both anthropogenic and biogenic secondary organic material. This finding supports the use of κORG as a simplified yet accurate general parameter to represent the CCN activation of secondary organic material in large-scale atmospheric and climate models.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions. 01/2010;
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ABSTRACT: The production of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) by the dark ozonolysis of gas-phase β-caryophyllene was studied. The experiments were conducted in a continuous-flow environmental chamber for organic particle mass concentrations of 0.5 to 30 μg m<sup>−3</sup> and with ozone in excess, thereby allowing the study of second-generation particle-phase products under atmospherically relevant conditions. The particle-phase products were characterized by an ultra-performance liquid chromatograph equipped with an electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-ESI-ToF-MS). Fragmentation mass spectra were used for the structural elucidation of each product, and the structures were confirmed as consistent with the accurate m/z values of the parent ions. In total, fifteen products were identified, three of which are reported for the first time in this study. The structures showed that 9 out of 15 particle-phase products were second generation, including all three of the new products. The relative abundance of the second-generation products was approximately 90% by mass among the 15 observed products. The O:C and H:C elemental ratios of the 15 products ranged from 0.13 to 0.50 and from 1.43 to 1.60, respectively. Fourteen of the products contained 3 to 5 oxygen atoms. A singular product, which was one of the three newly identified ones, had 7 oxygen atoms, including 1 carboxylic group, 2 carbonyl groups, and 3 hydroxyl groups. It was identified as 2,3-dihydroxy-4-[2-(4-hydroxy-3-oxobutyl)-3,3-dimethylcyclobutyl]-4-oxobutanoic acid (C<sub>14</sub>H<sub>22</sub>O<sub>7</sub>). The estimated saturation vapor pressure of this product is sufficiently low (3.3×10<sup>−13</sup> Pa) that it can contribute to new particle formation in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions. 01/2010;
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J. E. Shilling, Chen Q,
S M King,
Rosenoern T,
J. H. Kroll,
D. R. Worsnop,
P. F. DeCarlo,
A. C. Aiken,
Sueper D,
J. L. Jimenez,
S. T. Martin
[show abstract]
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ABSTRACT: The chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles, formed by the dark ozonolysis of α-pinene, was characterized by a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer. The experiments were conducted using a continuous-flow chamber, allowing the particle mass loading and chemical composition to be maintained for several days. The organic portion of the particle mass loading was varied from 0.5 to >140 μg/m3 by adjusting the concentration of reacted α-pinene from 0.9 to 91.1 ppbv. The mass spectra of the organic material changed with loading. For loadings below 5 μg/m3 the unit-mass-resolution m/z 44 (CO2+) signal intensity exceeded that of m/z 43 (predominantly C2H3O+), suggesting more oxygenated organic material at lower loadings. The composition varied more for lower loadings (0.5 to 15 μg/m3) compared to higher loadings (15 to >140 μg/m3). The high-resolution mass spectra showed that from >140 to 0.5 μg/m3 the mass percentage of fragments containing carbon and oxygen (CxHyOz+) monotonically increased from 48% to 54%. Correspondingly, the mass percentage of fragments representing CxHy+ decreased from 52% to 46%, and the atomic oxygen-to-carbon ratio increased from 0.29 to 0.45. The atomic ratios were accurately parameterized by a four-product basis set of decadal volatility (viz. 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100 μg/m3) employing products having empirical formulas of C1H1.32O0.48, C1H1.36O0.39, C1H1.57O0.24, and C1H1.76O0.14. These findings suggest considerable caution is warranted in the extrapolation of laboratory results that were obtained under conditions of relatively high loading (i.e., >15 μg/m3) to modeling applications relevant to the atmosphere, for which loadings of 0.1 to 20 μg/m3 are typical. For the lowest loadings, the particle mass spectra resembled observations reported in the literature for some atmospheric particles.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 01/2009;
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ABSTRACT: The effect of organic particle mass loading from 1 to ≥100 μg m−3 on the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) properties of mixed organic-sulfate particles was investigated in the Harvard Environmental Chamber. Mixed particles were produced by the condensation of organic molecules onto ammonium sulfate particles during the dark ozonolysis of α-pinene. A continuous-flow mode of the chamber provided stable conditions over long time periods, allowing for signal integration and hence increased measurement precision at low organic mass loadings representative of atmospheric conditions. CCN activity was measured at eight mass loadings for 80- and 100-nm particles grown on 50-nm sulfate seeds. A two-component (organic/sulfate) Köhler model, which included the particle heterogeneity arising from DMA size selection and from organic volume fraction for the selected 80- and 100-nm particles, was used to predict CCN activity. For organic mass loadings of 2.9 μg m−3 and greater, the observed activation curves were well predicted using a single set of physicochemical parameters for the organic component. For mass loadings of 1.74 μg m−3 and less, the observed CCN activity increased beyond predicted values using the same parameters, implying changed physicochemical properties of the organic component. Of possible changes in surface tension, effective molecular weight, and effective density, a sensitivity analysis implicated a decrease of up to 10% in surface tension at low mass loadings as the plausible dominant mechanism for the observed increase in CCN activity.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions. 01/2009;
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S. S. Gunthe,
S M King,
Rose D, Chen Q,
Roldin P,
D. K. Farmer,
J. L. Jimenez,
Artaxo P,
M. O. Andreae,
S. T. Martin,
Pöschl U
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ABSTRACT: Atmospheric aerosol particles serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are key elements of the hydrological cycle and climate. We have measured and characterized CCN at water vapor supersaturations in the range of S=0.10–0.82% in pristine tropical rainforest air during the AMAZE-08 campaign in central Amazonia. The effective hygroscopicity parameters describing the influence of chemical composition on the CCN activity of aerosol particles varied in the range of κ≈0.1–0.4 (0.16±0.06 arithmetic mean and standard deviation). The overall median value of κ≈0.15 was by a factor of two lower than the values typically observed for continental aerosols in other regions of the world. Aitken mode particles were less hygroscopic than accumulation mode particles (κ≈0.1 at D≈50 nm; κ≈0.2 at D≈200 nm), which is in agreement with earlier hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (H-TDMA) studies. The CCN measurement results are consistent with aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) data, showing that the organic mass fraction (forg) was on average as high as ~90% in the Aitken mode (D≤100 nm) and decreased with increasing particle diameter in the accumulation mode (~80% at D≈200 nm). The κ values exhibited a negative linear correlation with forg (R2=0.81), and extrapolation yielded the following effective hygroscopicity parameters for organic and inorganic particle components: κorg≈0.1 which can be regarded as the effective hygroscopicity of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and κinorg≈0.6 which is characteristic for ammonium sulfate and related salts. Both the size dependence and the temporal variability of effective particle hygroscopicity could be parameterized as a function of AMS-based organic and inorganic mass fractions (κp=κorg×forg +κinorg×finorg). The CCN number concentrations predicted with κp were in fair agreement with the measurement results (~20% average deviation). The median CCN number concentrations at S=0.1–0.82% ranged from NCCN,0.10≈35 cm−3 to NCCN,0.82≈160 cm−3, the median concentration of aerosol particles larger than 30 nm was NCN,30≈200 cm−3, and the corresponding integral CCN efficiencies were in the range of NCCN,0.10/NCN,30≈0.1 to NCCN,0.82/NCN,30≈0.8. Although the number concentrations and hygroscopicity parameters were much lower in pristine rainforest air, the integral CCN efficiencies observed were similar to those in highly polluted megacity air. Moreover, model calculations of NCCN,S assuming an approximate global average value of κ≈0.3 for continental aerosols led to systematic overpredictions, but the average deviations exceeded ~50% only at low water vapor supersaturation (0.1%) and low particle number concentrations (≤100 cm−3). Model calculations assuming a constant aerosol size distribution led to higher average deviations at all investigated levels of supersaturation: ~60% for the campaign average distribution and ~1600% for a generic remote continental size distribution. These findings confirm earlier studies suggesting that aerosol particle number and size are the major predictors for the variability of the CCN concentration in continental boundary layer air, followed by particle composition and hygroscopicity as relatively minor modulators. Depending on the required and applicable level of detail, the information and parameterizations presented in this paper should enable efficient description of the CCN properties of pristine tropical rainforest aerosols of Amazonia in detailed process models as well as in large-scale atmospheric and climate models.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 01/2009;
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ABSTRACT: The yield of particle mass in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed by dark ozonolysis was measured for 0.3–22.8 ppbv of reacted α-pinene. Most experiments were conducted using a continuous-flow chamber, allowing nearly constant SOA concentration and chemical composition for several days. For comparison, some experiments were also conducted in batch mode. Reaction conditions were 25°C, 40% RH, dry (NH4)SO4 seed particles, and excess 1-butanol. The organic particle loading was independently measured by an aerosol mass spectrometer and a scanning mobility particle sizer, and the two measurements agreed well. The observations showed that SOA formation occurred for even the lowest reacted α-pinene concentration of 0.3 ppbv. The particle mass yield was 0.09 at 0.15 μg m−3, increasing to 0.27 at 40 μg m−3. Compared to some results reported in the literature, the yields were 80 to 100% larger for loadings above 2 μg m−3. At lower loadings, the yields had an offset of approximately +0.07 from those reported in the literature. To as low as 0.15 μm−3, the yield curve had no inflection point toward null yield, implying the formation of one or several products having vapor pressures below this value. These observations of increased yields, especially for low loadings, are potentially important for accurate prediction by chemical transport models of organic particle concentrations in the ambient atmosphere.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 01/2008;
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J. E. Shilling, Chen Q,
S M King,
Rosenoern T,
J. H. Kroll,
D. R. Worsnop,
P. F. DeCarlo,
A. C. Aiken,
Sueper D,
J. L. Jimenez,
S. T. Martin
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles, formed by the dark ozonolysis of α-pinene, was characterized by a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer. The experiments were conducted using a continuous-flow chamber, allowing the particle mass loading and chemical composition to be maintained for several days. The organic portion of the particle mass loading was varied from 0.5 to >140 μg/m<sup>3</sup> by adjusting the concentration of reacted α-pinene from 0.9 to 91.1 ppbv. The mass spectra of the organic material changed with loading. For loadings below 5 μg/m<sup>3</sup> the unit-mass-resolution m/z 44 signal intensity exceeded that of m/z 43, suggesting more oxygenated organic material at lower loadings. Composition measurements displayed a greater dependence for lower loadings (0.5 to 15 μg/m<sup>3</sup>) compared to higher loadings (15 to >140 μg/m<sup>3</sup>). The high-resolution mass spectra showed that from >140 to 0.5 μg/m<sup>3</sup> the mass percentage of fragments containing carbon and oxygen (C<sub>x</sub>H<sub>y</sub>O<sub>z</sub><sup>+</sup>) monotonically increased from 48% to 54%. Correspondingly, the mass percentage of fragments representing C<sub>x</sub>H<sub>y</sub><sup>+</sup> decreased from 52% to 46%, and the atomic oxygen-to-carbon ratio increased from 0.29 to 0.45. The atomic ratios were accurately parameterized by a four-product basis set of decadal volatility (viz. 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100 μg/m<sup>−3</sup>) employing products with the empirical formulas C<sub>1</sub>H<sub>1.32</sub>O<sub>0.48</sub>, C<sub>1</sub>H<sub>1.36</sub>O<sub>0.39</sub>, C<sub>1</sub>H<sub>1.57</sub>O<sub>0.24</sub>, and C<sub>1</sub>H<sub>1.76</sub>O<sub>0.14</sub>. These findings suggest considerable caution is warranted in the extrapolation of laboratory results that were obtained under conditions of relatively high loading (i.e., >15 μg/m<sup>3</sup>) to modeling applications relevant to the atmosphere, for which loadings of 0.1 to 20 μg/m<sup>3</sup> are typical. For the lowest loadings, the particle mass spectra resembled observations reported in the literature for some atmospheric particles.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions. 01/2008;
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ABSTRACT: Chalcogenide glasses of the system GeSeTeSn have been prepared. Firstly the glass forming tendency in this quaternary system has been observed. Based on DTA data, the thermal properties of GeSeTeSn glasses have also been studied. The two thirds rule, Tg/Tl=2/3, holds well for the GeSeTeSn glasses, where Tg and Tl are the glass transition and liquidus temperatures, respectively. According to the heteroatom single bond energies, the relative probabilities of various chemical bonds in GeSeTeSn glasses have been calculated and it is found that the strength of the glass network structure is mainly influenced by the strongest bonds between GeSe and SnSe in the glasses.
Physics and Chemistry of Glasses - European Journal of Glass Science and Technology Part B. 07/1999; 40(4):225-228.
