Molecular Dynamics Study on the Surface Tension of Atmospheric Water Droplets Containing Amino Acids

• Atmospheric amino acids constitute an important fraction of the water-soluble organic nitrogen compounds in both marine and continental aerosols, and have been confirmed as effective cloud condensation nuclei materials in laboratory tests. We here present molecular dynamics study of six types of amino acids in atmospheric water droplets, in order to investigate molecular distributions, orientations and induced changes in surface tension, and to evaluate their indirect effects on optical properties of clouds. These amino acids, including serine, glycine, alanine, valine, methionine and phenylalanine, are categorized into hydrophilic and hydrophobic species according to their affinities to water. Different amino acids show distinct effects on the surface tension; even the same amino acid has different influence on the surface tension of planar and spherical interfaces. Finally the curvature dependence of the surface tension is modeled by a quadratic polynomial function of the inverse of droplet radius, and such relationship is used to improve the Köhler equation in predicting the critical supersaturation of droplet activation.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Teoretisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Theoretical Chemistry (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Theoretical chemistry

Teoretisk kemi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)