Title: | Particle-phase chemistry of secondary organic material: modeled compared to measured O:C and H:C elemental ratios provide constraints |
Author(s): | Chen Q; Liu Y; Donahue NM; Shilling JE; Martin ST; |
Address: | "School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1520-5851 (Electronic) 0013-936X (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Chemical mechanisms for the production of secondary organic material (SOM) are developed in focused laboratory studies but widely used in the complex modeling context of the atmosphere. Given this extrapolation, a stringent testing of the mechanisms is important. In addition to particle mass yield as a typical standard for model-measurement comparison, particle composition expressed as O:C and H:C elemental ratios can serve as a higher dimensional constraint. A paradigm for doing so is developed herein for SOM production from a C(5)-C(10)-C(15) terpene sequence, namely isoprene, alpha-pinene, and beta-caryopyhllene. The model MCM-SIMPOL is introduced based on the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM v3.2) and a group contribution method for vapor pressures (SIMPOL). The O:C and H:C ratios of the SOM are measured using an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS). Detailed SOM-specific AMS calibrations for the organic contribution to the H(2)O(+) and CO(+) ions indicate that published O:C and H:C ratios for SOM are systematically too low. Overall, the measurement-model gap was small for particle mass yield but significant for particle-average elemental composition. The implication is that a key chemical pathway is missing from the chemical mechanism. The data can be explained by the particle-phase homolytic decomposition of organic hydroperoxides and subsequent alkyl-radical-promoted oligomerization" |
Keywords: | "Aerosols Mass Spectrometry *Models, Chemical Particulate Matter/*chemistry Peroxides/chemistry Volatile Organic Compounds/*chemistry;" |
Notes: | "MedlineChen, Qi Liu, Yingjun Donahue, Neil M Shilling, John E Martin, Scot T eng Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2011/05/13 Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Jun 1; 45(11):4763-70. doi: 10.1021/es104398s. Epub 2011 May 11" |