We have studied the specific requirements of a given neutral organic molecule to act as a stabilizer in sulfuric acid induced new particle formation. Based on an analysis of the reaction Gibbs free ...energies between simple functional groups and sulfuric acid, carboxylic acid groups are identified to show the strongest hydrogen bonding interaction with sulfuric acid. The free energy associated with the hydrogen bonding between sulfuric acid and 14 different carboxylic acids of atmospheric relevance reveal that the binding strength is very dependent on the ability of sulfuric acid to form an additional hydrogen bond via its vacant S–OH group to a γ-carbonyl group in the organic molecule. Extending the analysis to monoterpene oxidation products and further to large dimer esters, we identify the following necessary criteria for a given organic oxidation product to efficiently stabilize sulfuric acid clustering: (1) weak or no intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the isolated monomer; (2) more than two carboxylic acid groups. As a proof of concept we show that these requirements correspond to the docking of a sulfuric acid molecule between two non-interacting carboxylic acid groups in the organic molecule. These findings suggests that, for a given organic oxidation product to participate in the initial steps in new particle formation involving sulfuric acid, very distinct molecular features are required.
We study the influence of an applied electric field on the structure and stability of some common bimolecular clusters that are found in the atmosphere. These clusters play an important role in new ...particle formation (NPF). For low values of the electric field (i.e., |E| ≤ 0.01 V Å–1), we demonstrate that the field response of the clusters can be predicted from simply calculating the dipole moment of the cluster and the dipole moments of the constituent molecules and that the influence on the association energy of the cluster is minimal (i.e., <0.5 kcal mol–1). For higher field strengths |E| > 0.2 V Å–1, there can be more dramatic effects on both structure and energetics, as the induced dipole, charge transfer, and geometric distortion play a larger role. Although such large fields are not very relevant in the atmosphere, they do exist in some situations of experimental interest, such as near interfaces and in intense laser fields.
Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOM) are formed in the atmosphere via autoxidation involving peroxy radicals arising from volatile organic compounds (VOC). HOM condense on pre-existing particles ...and can be involved in new particle formation. HOM thus contribute to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), a significant and ubiquitous component of atmospheric aerosol known to affect the Earth’s radiation balance. HOM were discovered only very recently, but the interest in these compounds has grown rapidly. In this Review, we define HOM and describe the currently available techniques for their identification/quantification, followed by a summary of the current knowledge on their formation mechanisms and physicochemical properties. A main aim is to provide a common frame for the currently quite fragmented literature on HOM studies. Finally, we highlight the existing gaps in our understanding and suggest directions for future HOM research.
Diamines Can Initiate New Particle Formation in the Atmosphere Elm, Jonas; Passananti, Monica; Kurtén, Theo ...
The journal of physical chemistry. A, Molecules, spectroscopy, kinetics, environment, & general theory,
08/2017, Letnik:
121, Številka:
32
Journal Article
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Recent experimental evidence suggests that diamines can enhance atmospheric new particle formation more efficiently compared to monoamines such as dimethylamine. Here we investigate the molecular ...interactions between sulfuric acid (sa) and the diamine putrescine (put) using computational methods. The molecular structure of up to four sulfuric acid molecules and up to four putrescine molecules were obtained at the ωB97X-D/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory. We utilized a domain local pair natural orbital coupled cluster method (DLPNO-CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ) to obtain highly accurate binding energies of the clusters. We find that the (sa)1–4(put)1–4 clusters show more ionic character than clusters consisting of sulfuric acid and dimethylamine (dma) by readily forming several sulfate ions in the cluster. To estimate the stability of the clusters, we calculate the evaporation rates and compare them to ESI-APi-TOF measurements. Using the atmospheric cluster dynamics code (ACDC), we simulate and compare the new particle formation rates between the (sa)1–4(put)1–4 and (sa)1–4(dma)1–4 cluster systems. We find that putrescine significantly enhances the formation of new particles compared to dimethylamine. Our findings suggest that a large range of amines with different basicity is capable of explaining various regions of the observed new particle formation events. These results indicate that diamines, or related compounds with high basicity, might be important species in forming the initial cluster with sulfuric acid and subsequently more abundant amines with lower basicity can assist in the new particle formation process by attaching to the sulfuric acid–diamine nucleus.
A high-resolution time-of-flight chemical-ionization mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-CIMS) using Iodide-adducts has been characterized and deployed in several laboratory and field studies to measure a ...suite of organic and inorganic atmospheric species. The large negative mass defect of Iodide, combined with soft ionization and the high mass-accuracy (<20 ppm) and mass-resolving power (R > 5500) of the time-of-flight mass spectrometer, provides an additional degree of separation and allows for the determination of elemental compositions for the vast majority of detected ions. Laboratory characterization reveals Iodide-adduct ionization generally exhibits increasing sensitivity toward more polar or acidic volatile organic compounds. Simultaneous retrieval of a wide range of mass-to-charge ratios (m/Q from 25 to 625 Th) at a high frequency (>1 Hz) provides a comprehensive view of atmospheric oxidative chemistry, particularly when sampling rapidly evolving plumes from fast moving platforms like an aircraft. We present the sampling protocol, detection limits and observations from the first aircraft deployment for an instrument of this type, which took place aboard the NOAA WP-3D aircraft during the Southeast Nexus (SENEX) 2013 field campaign.
Criegee intermediates (CIs), mainly formed from gas-phase ozonolysis of alkenes, are considered as atmospheric oxidants besides OH and NO3 radicals as well as ozone. Direct CI measurement techniques ...are inevitably needed for reliable assessment of CIs’ role in atmospheric processes. We found that CIs from ozonolysis reactions can be directly probed by means of chemical ionization mass spectrometry with a detection limit of about 104–105 molecules cm–3. Results from quantum chemical calculations support the experimental findings. The simplest CI, CH2OO, is detectable as an adduct with protonated ethers, preferably with protonated tetrahydrofuran. Kinetic measurements yielded k(CH2OO + SO2) = (3.3 ± 0.9) × 10–11 and k(CH2OO + acetic acid) = (1.25 ± 0.30) × 10–10 cm3 molecule–1 s–1 at 295 ± 2 K, in very good agreement with recent measurements using diiodomethane photolysis for CH2OO generation. CIs from the ozonolysis of cyclohexene, acting as surrogate for cyclic terpenes, are followed as protonated species (CI)H+ using protonated amines as reagent ions. Kinetic investigations indicate a different reactivity of cyclohexene-derived CIs compared with that of simple CIs, such as CH2OO. It is supposed that the aldehyde group significantly influences the CI reactivity of the cyclohexene-derived CIs. The direct CI detection method presented here should allow study of the formation and reactivity of a wide range of different CIs formed from atmospheric ozonolysis reactions.
Aerosol affects Earth's climate and the health of its inhabitants. A major contributor to aerosol formation is the oxidation of volatile organic compounds. Monoterpenes are an important class of ...volatile organic compounds, and recent research demonstrate that they can be converted to low-volatility aerosol precursors on sub-second timescales following a single oxidant attack. The α-pinene + O
system is particularly efficient in this regard. However, the actual mechanism behind this conversion is not understood. The key challenge is the steric strain created by the cyclobutyl ring in the oxidation products. This strain hinders subsequent unimolecular hydrogen-shift reactions essential for lowering volatility. Using quantum chemical calculations and targeted experiments, we show that the excess energy from the initial ozonolysis reaction can lead to novel oxidation intermediates without steric strain, allowing the rapid formation of products with up to 8 oxygen atoms. This is likely a key route for atmospheric organic aerosol formation.
The recombination (“dimerization”) of peroxyl radicals (RO2•) is one of the pathways suggested in the literature for the formation of peroxides (ROOR′, often referred to as dimers or accretion ...products in the literature) in the atmosphere. It is generally accepted that these dimers play a major role in the first steps of the formation of submicron aerosol particles. However, the precise reaction pathways and energetics of RO2• + R′O2• reactions are still unknown. In this work, we have studied the formation of tetroxide intermediates (RO4R′): their formation from two peroxyl radicals and their decomposition to triplet molecular oxygen (3O2) and a triplet pair of alkoxyl radicals (RO•). We demonstrate this mechanism for several atmospherically relevant primary and secondary peroxyl radicals. The potential energy surface corresponds to an overall singlet state. The subsequent reaction channels of the alkoxyl radicals include, but are not limited to, their dimerization into ROOR′. Our work considers the multiconfigurational character of the tetroxides and the intermediate phases of the reaction, leading to reliable mechanistic insights for the formation and decomposition of the tetroxides. Despite substantial uncertainties in the computed energetics, our results demonstrate that the barrier heights along the reaction path are invariably small for these systems. This suggests that the reaction mechanism, previously validated at a multireference level only for methyl peroxyl radicals, is a plausible pathway for the formation of aerosol-relevant larger peroxides in the atmosphere.
We tested the influence of various parameters on the new particle formation rate predicted for the sulfuric acid–ammonia system using quantum chemistry and cluster distribution dynamics simulations, ...in our case, Atmospheric Cluster Dynamics Code (ACDC). We found that consistent consideration of the rotational symmetry number of monomers (sulfuric acid and ammonia molecules, and bisulfate and ammonium ions) leads to a significant rise in the predicted particle formation rate, whereas inclusion of the rotational symmetry number of the clusters only changes the results slightly, and only in conditions where charged clusters dominate the particle formation rate. This is because most of the clusters stable enough to participate in new particle formation have a rotational symmetry number of 1, and few exceptions to this rule are positively charged clusters. In contrast, the application of the quasi-harmonic correction for low-frequency vibrational modes tends to generally decrease predicted new particle formation rates and also significantly alters the slope of the formation rate curve plotted against the sulfuric acid concentration, which is a typical convention in atmospheric aerosol science. The impact of the maximum size of the clusters explicitly included in the simulations depends on the simulated conditions. The errors arising from a limited set of clusters are higher for higher evaporation rates, and thus tend to increase with temperature. Similarly, the errors tend to be higher for lower vapor concentrations. The boundary conditions for outgrowing clusters (that are counted as formed particles) have only a small influence on the results, provided that the definition is chemically reasonable and that the set of simulated clusters is sufficiently large. A comparison with data from the Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (CLOUD) chamber and a cluster distribution dynamics model using older quantum chemistry input data shows improved agreement when using our new input data and the proposed combination of symmetry and quasi-harmonic corrections.
The formation of new particles through condensation from the gas phase is an important source of atmospheric aerosols. The properties of the electrically neutral clusters formed in the very first ...steps of the condensation process are, however, not directly observable by experimental means. We present here electronic structure calculations on the hydrates of clusters of three molecules of sulfuric acid and three molecules of ammonia or dimethylamine. On the basis of the results of these new calculations together with previously published material we simulate the influence of hydration on the dynamic processes involved in particle formation. Most strongly affected by hydration and most important as a mediator for the effect on particle formation rates are the evaporation rates of clusters. The results give an estimate of the sensitivity of the atmospheric particle formation rate for humidity. The particle formation rate can change approximately two orders of magnitude in either direction due to hydration; the net effect, however, is highly dependent on the exact conditions.
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