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Chen DP, Ma W, Yang CH, Li M, Zhou ZZ, Zhang Y, Wang XC, Quan ZJ. Formation of atmospheric molecular clusters containing nitric acid with ammonia, methylamine, and dimethylamine. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2024. [PMID: 39392062 DOI: 10.1039/d4em00330f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/12/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the formation of atmospheric molecular clusters containing ammonia (NH3, A), methylamine (CH3NH2, MA), or dimethylamine (CH3NHCH3, DMA) with nitric acid (HNO3, NA) using quantum mechanics. The Atmospheric Cluster Dynamic Code (ACDC) was employed to simulate the total evaporation rate, formation rate, and growth pathways of three types of clusters under dry and hydrated conditions. This study evaluates the enhancing potential of A/MA/DMA for NA-based new particle formation (NPF) at parts per trillion (ppt) levels. The results indicate that A/MA/DMA can enhance NA-based NPF at high nitric acid concentrations and low temperatures in the atmosphere. The enhancing potential of MA is weaker than that of DMA but stronger than that of A. Cluster growth predominantly follows the lowest free energy pathways on the acid-base grid, with the formation of initial acid-base dimers (NA)(A), (NA)(MA), and (NA)(DMA) being crucial. Hydration influences the evaporation rate and formation rate of clusters, especially for initial clusters. When the humidity is at 100%, the formation rate for NA-A, NA-MA, and NA-DMA clusters can increase by approximately 109, 107, and 104-fold compared to the corresponding unhydrated clusters, respectively. These results highlight the significance of nitric acid nucleation in NPF events in low-temperature, high-humidity atmospheres, particularly in regions like China with significant automobile exhaust pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Ping Chen
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.
| | - Wen Ma
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.
| | - Chun-Hong Yang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.
| | - Ming Li
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.
| | - Zhao-Zhen Zhou
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.
| | - Yang Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.
| | - Xi-Cun Wang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.
| | - Zheng-Jun Quan
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China.
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Shi X, Zhao X, Zhang R, Xu F, Cheng J, Zhang Q, Wang W. Theoretical study of the cis-pinonic acid and its atmospheric hydrolysate participation in the atmospheric nucleation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 674:234-241. [PMID: 31005830 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
cis-Pinonic acid (CPA), one of the major photooxidation products of α-pinene, is believed to contribute to the formation of aerosols formed over forested areas. In the current study, we implement quantum chemical calculation to investigate the interaction between sulfuric acid (SA) and CPA as well as the hydrolysate of CPA (HCPA) in the presence of water or ammonia in the atmosphere. The lowest free energy configurations, reactants, transition states, intermediates, and products were optimized at 298/278K and 1atm at the M06-2X/6-311+G(3df,3pd) level. Our results show that one CPA molecule might initially nucleate with SA molecules and subsequently participate in the formation and growth of the new particle in the form of HCPA. More than one HCPA molecule may be involved in the critical nuclei. Furthermore, the hydrolysis reaction of CPA can be effectively catalyzed by SA and nitric acid (NA) in presence of water, which significantly increases the HCPA content in the atmosphere and subsequently promotes the particle nucleation. Overall, the current study elucidates a new mechanism of atmospheric nucleation driven by CPA and its hydrolysate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangli Shi
- College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, PR China
| | - Xianwei Zhao
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, PR China
| | - Ruiming Zhang
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, PR China
| | - Fei Xu
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, PR China
| | - Jiemin Cheng
- College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, PR China.
| | - Qingzhu Zhang
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, PR China.
| | - Wenxing Wang
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, PR China
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Hirvonen V, Myllys N, Kurtén T, Elm J. Closed-Shell Organic Compounds Might Form Dimers at the Surface of Molecular Clusters. J Phys Chem A 2018; 122:1771-1780. [PMID: 29364673 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.7b11970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The role of covalently bound dimer formation is studied using high-level quantum chemical methods. Reaction free energy profiles for dimer formation between common oxygen-containing functional groups are calculated, and based on the Gibbs free energy differences between transition states and reactants, we show that none of the studied two-component gas-phase reactions are kinetically feasible at 298.15 K and 1 atm. Therefore, the catalyzing effect of water, base, or acid molecules is calculated, and sulfuric acid is identified to lower the activation free energies significantly. We find that the reactions yielding hemiacetal, peroxyhemiacetal, α-hydroxyester, and geminal diol products occur with activation free energies of less than 10 kcal/mol with sulfuric acid as a catalyst, indicating that these reactions could potentially take place on the surface of sulfuric acid clusters. Additionally, the formed dimer products bind stronger onto the pre-existing cluster than the corresponding reagent monomers do. This implies that covalent dimerization reactions stabilize the existing cluster thermodynamically and make it less likely to evaporate. However, the studied small organic compounds, which contain only one functional group, are not able to form dimer products that are stable against evaporation at atmospheric conditions. Calculations of dimer formation onto a cluster surface and the clustering ability of dimer products should be extended to large terpene oxidation products in order to estimate the real atmospheric significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viivi Hirvonen
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki , 00100 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nanna Myllys
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki , 00100 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Theo Kurtén
- Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki , 00100 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonas Elm
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University , 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Bzdek BR, DePalma JW, Johnston MV. Mechanisms of Atmospherically Relevant Cluster Growth. Acc Chem Res 2017; 50:1965-1975. [PMID: 28700203 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosols impact global climate either directly by scattering solar radiation or indirectly by serving as cloud condensation nuclei, which influence cloud albedo and precipitation patterns. Our scientific understanding of these impacts is poor relative to that of, for instance, greenhouse gases, in part because it is difficult to predict particle number concentrations. One important pathway by which particles are added to the atmosphere is new particle formation, where gas phase precursors form molecular clusters that subsequently grow to the climatically relevant size range (50-100 nm diameter). It is predicted that up to 50% of atmospheric particles arise from this process, but the key initial chemical processes are poorly resolved. In general, a combination of inorganic and organic molecules are thought to contribute to new particle formation, but the chemical composition of molecular clusters and pathways by which they grow to larger sizes is unclear. Cluster growth is a key component of new particle formation, as it governs whether molecular clusters will become climatically relevant. This Account discusses our recent work to understand the mechanisms underlying new particle growth. Atmospherically relevant molecular clusters containing the likely key contributors to new particle formation (sulfuric acid, ammonia, amines, and water) were investigated experimentally by Fourier transform mass spectrometry as well as computationally by density functional theory. Our laboratory experiments investigated the molecular composition of charged clusters, the molecular pathways by which these clusters may grow, and the kinetics of base incorporation into them. Computational chemistry allowed confirmation and rationalization of the experimental results for charged clusters and extension of these principles to uncharged and hydrated clusters that are difficult to study by mass spectrometry. This combination of approaches enabled us to establish a framework for cluster growth involving sulfuric acid, ammonia, amines, and water. Charged or uncharged, cluster growth occurs primarily through an ammonium (or aminium) bisulfate coordinate. In these clusters, proton transfer is maximized between acids and bases to produce cations (ammonium, aminium) and anions (bisulfate), whereas additional molecules (water and unneutralized sulfuric acid) remain un-ionized. Experimental measurements suggest the growth of positively charged clusters occurs by successive acidification and neutralization steps. The acidification step is nearly barrierless, whereas the neutralization step exhibits a significant activation barrier in the case of ammonia. Bases are also incorporated into these clusters by displacement of one base for another. Base displacement is barrierless on the cluster surface but not within the cluster core. The favorability of amines relative to ammonia in charged clusters is governed by the trade-off between gas phase basicity and binding energetics. Computational studies indicate that water has a relatively small effect on cluster energetics. In short, amines are effective at assisting the formation and initial growth of clusters but become less important as cluster size increases, especially when hydration is considered. More generally, this work shows how experiment and computation can provide important, complementary information to address problems of environmental interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan R. Bzdek
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Joseph W. DePalma
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Murray V. Johnston
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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Xie HB, Elm J, Halonen R, Myllys N, Kurtén T, Kulmala M, Vehkamäki H. Atmospheric Fate of Monoethanolamine: Enhancing New Particle Formation of Sulfuric Acid as an Important Removal Process. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2017; 51:8422-8431. [PMID: 28651044 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b02294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Monoethanolamine (MEA), a potential atmospheric pollutant from the capture unit of a leading CO2 capture technology, could be removed by participating H2SO4-based new particle formation (NPF) as simple amines. Here we evaluated the enhancing potential of MEA on H2SO4-based NPF by examining the formation of molecular clusters of MEA and H2SO4 using combined quantum chemistry calculations and kinetics modeling. The results indicate that MEA at the parts per trillion (ppt) level can enhance H2SO4-based NPF. The enhancing potential of MEA is less than that of dimethylamine (DMA), one of the strongest enhancing agents, and much greater than methylamine (MA), in contrast to the order suggested solely by their basicity (MEA < MA < DMA). The unexpectedly high enhancing potential is attributed to the role of -OH of MEA in increasing cluster binding free energies by acting as both a hydrogen bond donor and acceptor. After the initial formation of one H2SO4 and one MEA cluster, the cluster growth mainly proceeds by first adding one H2SO4, and then one MEA, which differs from growth pathways in H2SO4-DMA and H2SO4-MA systems. Importantly, the effective removal rate of MEA due to participation in NPF is comparable to that of oxidation by hydroxyl radicals at 278.15 K, indicating NPF as an important sink for MEA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Bin Xie
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology , Dalian 116024, China
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki , P.O. Box 64, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonas Elm
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki , P.O. Box 64, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Roope Halonen
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki , P.O. Box 64, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nanna Myllys
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki , P.O. Box 64, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Theo Kurtén
- Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki , P.O. Box 55, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Markku Kulmala
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki , P.O. Box 64, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hanna Vehkamäki
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki , P.O. Box 64, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
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Zhang H, Kupiainen-Määttä O, Zhang X, Molinero V, Zhang Y, Li Z. The enhancement mechanism of glycolic acid on the formation of atmospheric sulfuric acid–ammonia molecular clusters. J Chem Phys 2017. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4982929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Perez JE, Kumar M, Francisco JS, Sinha A. Oxygenate-Induced Tuning of Aldehyde-Amine Reactivity and Its Atmospheric Implications. J Phys Chem A 2017; 121:1022-1031. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b10845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Josue E. Perez
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California—San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, United States
| | - Joseph S. Francisco
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, United States
| | - Amitabha Sinha
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California—San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
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Elm J, Myllys N, Olenius T, Halonen R, Kurtén T, Vehkamäki H. Formation of atmospheric molecular clusters consisting of sulfuric acid and C8H12O6 tricarboxylic acid. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:4877-4886. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp08127d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We present the structures and thermochemical properties of (MBTCA)1−3(H2SO4)1−4 atmospheric molecular clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Elm
- Division of Atmospheric Sciences
- Department of Physics
- University of Helsinki
- FI-00014 Helsinki
- Finland
| | - Nanna Myllys
- Division of Atmospheric Sciences
- Department of Physics
- University of Helsinki
- FI-00014 Helsinki
- Finland
| | - Tinja Olenius
- Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry (ACES) and Bolin Centre for Climate Research
- Stockholm University
- 10691 Stockholm
- Sweden
| | - Roope Halonen
- Division of Atmospheric Sciences
- Department of Physics
- University of Helsinki
- FI-00014 Helsinki
- Finland
| | - Theo Kurtén
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Helsinki
- FI-00014 Helsinki
- Finland
| | - Hanna Vehkamäki
- Division of Atmospheric Sciences
- Department of Physics
- University of Helsinki
- FI-00014 Helsinki
- Finland
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Elm J, Kristensen K. Basis set convergence of the binding energies of strongly hydrogen-bonded atmospheric clusters. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:1122-1133. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp06851k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We present the first binding energy benchmark set at the CBS limit of strongly hydrogen bonded atmospheric molecular clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Elm
- Division of Atmospheric Sciences
- Department of Physics
- University of Helsinki
- Finland
| | - Kasper Kristensen
- qLEAP Center for Theoretical Chemistry
- Department of Chemistry
- Aarhus University
- Denmark
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Elm J, Myllys N, Kurtén T. Phosphoric acid – a potentially elusive participant in atmospheric new particle formation. Mol Phys 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2016.1262558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Elm
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nanna Myllys
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Theo Kurtén
- Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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