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, C5H8) 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 in...
Saved in:
Published in | The journal of physical chemistry. A, Molecules, spectroscopy, kinetics, environment, & general theory Vol. 110; no. 31; pp. 9665 - 9690 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
American Chemical Society
10.08.2006
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Recent work in our laboratory has shown that the photooxidation of isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, C5H8) 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 ∼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 (∼61% when SOA forms by nucleation and ∼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 C5 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. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ark:/67375/TPS-K31T32QF-N istex:2B4823FD80AEE9A30E878D18AF5E1F0E22A101F7 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1089-5639 1520-5215 |
DOI: | 10.1021/jp061734m |