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- Buchholz, Angela, et al.
(author)
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Insights into the O : C-dependent mechanisms controlling the evaporation of alpha-pinene secondary organic aerosol particles
- 2019
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In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 19:6, s. 4061-4073
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The volatility of oxidation products of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere is a key factor to determine if they partition into the particle phase contributing to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass. Thus, linking volatility and measured particle composition will provide insights into SOA formation and its fate in the atmosphere. We produced alpha-pinene SOA with three different oxidation levels (characterized by average oxygen-to-carbon ratio; (O:C) over bar = 0.53, 0.69, and 0.96) in an oxidation flow reactor. We investigated the particle volatility by isothermal evaporation in clean air as a function of relative humidity (RH < 2 %, 40 %, and 80 %) and used a filter-based thermal desorption method to gain volatility and chemical composition information. We observed reduced particle evaporation for particles with increasing <(O:C )over bar> ratio, indicating that particles become more resilient to evaporation with oxidative aging. Particle evaporation was increased in the presence of water vapour and presumably particulate water; at the same time the resistance of the residual particles to thermal desorption was increased as well. For SOA with (O:C ) over bar = 0.96, the unexpectedly large increase in mean thermal desorption temperature and changes in the thermogram shapes under wet conditions (80 % RH) were an indication of aqueous phase chemistry. For the lower (O:C ) over bar cases, some water-induced composition changes were observed. However, the enhanced evaporation under wet conditions could be explained by the reduction in particle viscosity from the semi-solid to liquid-like range, and the observed higher desorption temperature of the residual particles is a direct consequence of the increased removal of high-volatility and the continued presence of low-volatility compounds.
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2. |
- Ylisirniö, Arttu, et al.
(author)
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Composition and volatility of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from oxidation of real tree emissions compared to simplified volatile organic compound (VOC) systems
- 2020
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In: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 20:9, s. 5629-5644
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is an important constituent of the atmosphere where SOA particles are formed chiefly by the condensation or reactive uptake of oxidation products of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The mass yield in SOA particle formation, as well as the chemical composition and volatility of the particles, is determined by the identity of the VOC precursor(s) and the oxidation conditions they experience. In this study, we used an oxidation flow reactor to generate biogenic SOA from the oxidation of Scots pine emissions. Mass yields, chemical composition and volatility of the SOA particles were characterized and compared with SOA particles formed from oxidation of alpha-pinene and from a mixture of acyclic-monocyclic sesquiterpenes (farnesenes and bisabolenes), which are significant components of the Scots pine emissions. SOA mass yields for Scots pine emissions dominated by farnesenes were lower than for a-pinene but higher than for the artificial mixture of farne-senes and bisabolenes. The reduction in the SOA yield in the farnesene- and bisabolene-dominated mixtures is due to exocyclic C =C bond scission in these acyclic-monocyclic sesquiterpenes during ozonolysis leading to smaller and generally more volatile products. SOA particles from the oxi- dation of Scots pine emissions had similar or lower volatility than SOA particles formed from either a single precursor or a simple mixture of VOCs. Applying physical stress to the Scots pine plants increased their monoterpene, especially monocyclic beta-phellandrene, emissions, which further decreased SOA particle volatility and increased SOA mass yield. Our results highlight the need to account for the chemical complexity and structure of real-world biogenic VOC emissions and stress-induced changes to plant emissions when modelling SOA production and properties in the atmosphere. These results emphasize that a simple increase or decrease in relative monoterpene and sesquiterpene emissions should not be used as an indicator of SOA particle volatility.
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