| 1. |
- Bilde, M., et al.
(author)
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Saturation Vapor Pressures and Transition Enthalpies of Low-Volatility Organic Molecules of Atmospheric Relevance: From Dicarboxylic Acids to Complex Mixtures
- 2015
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In: Chemical Reviews. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0009-2665 .- 1520-6890. ; 115:10, s. 4115-4156
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There are a number of techniques that can be used that differ in terms of whether they fundamentally probe the equilibrium and the temperature range over which they can be applied. The series of homologous, straight-chain dicarboxylic acids have received much attention over the past decade given their atmospheric relevance, commercial availability, and low saturation vapor pressures, thus making them ideal test compounds. Uncertainties in the solid-state saturation vapor pressures obtained from individual methodologies are typically on the order of 50-100%, but the differences between saturation vapor pressures obtained with different methods are approximately 1-4 orders of magnitude, with the spread tending to increase as the saturation vapor pressure decreases. Some of the dicarboxylic acids can exist with multiple solid-state structures that have distinct saturation vapor pressures. Furthermore, the samples on which measurements are performed may actually exist as amorphous subcooled liquids rather than solid crystalline compounds, again with consequences for the measured saturation vapor pressures, since the subcooled liquid phase will have a higher saturation vapor pressure than the crystalline solid phase. Compounds with equilibrium vapor pressures in this range will exhibit the greatest sensitivities in terms of their gas to particle partitioning to uncertainties in their saturation vapor pressures, with consequent impacts on the ability of explicit and semiexplicit chemical models to simulate secondary organic aerosol formation.
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| 2. |
- Lutz, Anna, 1986, et al.
(author)
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Gas to Particle Partitioning of Organic Acids in the Boreal Atmosphere
- 2019
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In: Acs Earth and Space Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2472-3452. ; 3:7, s. 1279-1287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Gas to particle partitioning of carboxylic acids was investigated using a high-resolution chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (HR-CI-ToF-MS) with the filter inlet for gases and aerosol (FIGAERO). Specifically, the partitioning coefficients of 640 components with unique molecular composition were calculated from an assumed linear relationship between [particle]/[gas] versus the mass of the organic fraction (M-org) according to Raoult's law, i.e., equilibrium phase partitioning. We demonstrate that, using the full data set, most of the compounds do not follow a linear relationship. This is especially the case for low- and high-molecular-weight species. Using a subset of the data, with concurrent low sulfate ambient observations ([SO42- < 0.4 mu g m(-3)), the relationship improved significantly and K-i could be derived from the slope of a linear regression to the data. The 100 species with the highest R-2 (>= 0.7) of this regression are presented. The restrictions during high sulfate conditions can be explained by changes in either the equilibrium conditions (e.g., the activity coeffient, gamma(i)) or uptake kinetics (mass transfer limitation). This study demonstrates that partitioning of compounds in the complex ambient atmosphere follows ideal Raoult's law for some limited conditions and stresses the need for studies also in more polluted environments.
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| 3. |
- Mohr, Claudia, et al.
(author)
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Molecular identification of organic vapors driving atmospheric nanoparticle growth
- 2019
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In: Nature communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Particles formed in the atmosphere via nucleation provide about half the number of atmospheric cloud condensation nuclei, but in many locations, this process is limited by the growth of the newly formed particles. That growth is often via condensation of organic vapors. Identification of these vapors and their sources is thus fundamental for simulating changes to aerosol-cloud interactions, which are one of the most uncertain aspects of anthropogenic climate forcing. Here we present direct molecular-level observations of a distribution of organic vapors in a forested environment that can explain simultaneously observed atmospheric nanoparticle growth from 3 to 50nm. Furthermore, the volatility distribution of these vapors is sufficient to explain nanoparticle growth without invoking particle-phase processes. The agreement between observed mass growth, and the growth predicted from the observed mass of condensing vapors in a forested environment thus represents an important step forward in the characterization of atmospheric particle growth.
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