Molecular characteristics, sources and transformation of water-insoluble organic matter in cloud water

Studies have shown that water-insoluble organic matter (WIOM) accounts for a large part of the organic components in cloud water and significantly contributes to brown carbon. However, the molecular characteristics of WIOM in cloud droplets remain unclear, hampering the understanding of their climate effects. In this study, cloud water was collected at a remote mountain site in South China during the winter of 2020, and WIOM was separated by membrane filtration, extracted by methanol, and characterized using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry coupled with an electrospray ionization source. A total of 697-1637 molecules were identified in WIOM. WIOM is characterized by lower oxidation states of carbon atoms (-1.10 ∼ -0.84 in WIOM vs. -0.58 ∼ -0.51 in water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) on average), higher carbon number (14.12-20.59 vs. 9.87-10.56) and lower unsaturation (double-bond equivalent 4.55-4.95 vs. 4.84-5.23) relative to WSOM. More abundant lipid-like compounds (12.2-41.9% in WIOM vs. <2% in WSOM) but less highly oxygenated compounds (<7% vs. 28.6-35.3%) exist in WIOM. More than 30% of WIOM molecules in cloud water are common with interstitial particles, implying that WIOM in cloud water may originate from aerosol activation and/or collision. Some unique molecules in WIOM in cloud water are identified as aqueous-phase oligomerization products, indicating the aqueous-phase formation of WIOM. Further analysis of the intermolecular relationship shows that WIOM has the potential to transform into WSOM by partitioning into the dissolved phase, oxidation and functionalization by heteroatom-containing groups, representing a previously unidentified pathway for WSOM formation in cloud water. The results provide new insights into the in-cloud chemistry, which would assist in the understanding of the aqueous formation and evolution of WIOM.

A Method for the Measurement of the Water Solubility Distribution of Atmospheric Organic Aerosols

A method for the measurement of the water solubility distribution of atmospheric organic aerosols is presented. This method is based on the extraction of organic aerosols collected on filters, using different amounts of water and measurement of the corresponding water-soluble organic carbon concentration. The solubility distribution is then estimated using the solubility basis set. The method was applied on both ambient and source-specific aerosols. Approximately 60% of the atmospheric urban organic aerosol analyzed had water solubility higher than 0.6 g L^-1. Around 10% of the fresh cooking organic aerosol had water solubility higher than 10 g L^-1, while 80% of the total fresh cooking organic aerosol had solubility lower than 0.1 g L^-1. The ambient measurements suggested that the solubility distributions are roughly consistent with the positive matrix factorization analysis results determined during the analysis of the high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometry data. Most of the oxidized organic aerosol appears to have water solubility above 0.6 g L^-1, while the hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol and cooking organic aerosol have water solubility less than 0.002 and 0.1 g L^-1, respectively. The biomass burning organic aerosol seems to have mostly intermediate solubility in water, between 0.04 and 0.6 g L^-1. The proposed approach can quantify the solubility distribution in the 0.002-15 g L^-1 range. Future extension of the method to higher solubility ranges would be useful for capturing the complete solubility range for atmospheric cloud condensation studies (0.1-100 g L^-1).

A review of efflorescence kinetics studies on atmospherically relevant particles

The efflorescence transitions of aerosol particles have been intensively investigated due to their critical impacts on global climate and atmospheric chemistry. In the present study, we present a critical review of efflorescence kinetics focusing on three key issues: the efflorescence relative humidity (ERH) and the influence factors for aerosol ERH (e.g. particle sizes, and temperature); efflorescence processes of mixed aerosols, concerning the effect of coexisting inorganic and organic components on the efflorescence of inorganic salts; homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation rates of pure and mixed aerosols. Among the previous studies, there are significant discrepancies for measured aerosol ERH under even the same conditions. Moreover, the interactions between organic and inorganic components remain largely unclear, causing efflorescence transition behaviours and chemical composition evolutions of certain mixed systems to be debatable. Thus, it is important to better understand efflorescence to gain insights into the physicochemical properties and characterize observed efflorescence characteristics of atmospheric particles, as well as guide further studies on aerosol hygroscopicity and reactivity.

Historical Changes in Seasonal Aerosol Acidity in the Po Valley (Italy) as Inferred from Fog Water and Aerosol Measurements

Acidity profoundly affects almost every aspect that shapes the composition of ambient particles and their environmental impact. Thermodynamic analysis of gas-particle composition datasets offers robust estimates of acidity, but they are not available for long periods of time. Fog composition datasets, however, are available for many decades; we develop a thermodynamic analysis to estimate the ammonia in equilibrium with fog water and to infer the pre-fog aerosol pH starting from fog chemical composition and pH. The acidity values from the new method agree with the results of thermodynamic analysis of the available gas-particle composition data. Applying the new method to historical (25 years) fog water composition at the rural station of San Pietro Capofiume (SPC) in the Po Valley (Italy) suggests that the aerosol has been mildly acidic, with its pH decreasing by 0.5-1.5 pH units over the last decades. The observed pH of the fog water also increased 1 unit over the same period. Analysis of the simulated aerosol pH reveals that the aerosol acidity trend is driven by a decrease in aerosol precursor concentrations, and changes in temperature and relative humidity. Currently, NO_x controls would be most effective for PM_2.5 reduction in the Po valley both during summer and winter. In the future, however, seasonal transitions to the NH₃-sensitive region may occur, meaning that the NH₃ reduction policy may become increasingly necessary.

Speciation of organic fraction does matter for source apportionment. Part 1: A one-year campaign in Grenoble (France)

PM₁₀ source apportionment was performed by positive matrix factorization (PMF) using specific primary and secondary organic molecular markers on samples collected over a one year period (2013) at an urban station in Grenoble (France). The results provided a 9-factor optimum solution, including sources rarely apportioned in the literature, such as two types of primary biogenic organic aerosols (fungal spores and plant debris), as well as specific biogenic and anthropogenic secondary organic aerosols (SOA). These sources were identified thanks to the use of key organic markers, namely, polyols, odd number higher alkanes, and several SOA markers related to the oxidation of isoprene, α-pinene, toluene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Primary and secondary biogenic contributions together accounted for at least 68% of the total organic carbon (OC) in the summer, while anthropogenic primary and secondary sources represented at least 71% of OC during wintertime. A very significant contribution of anthropogenic SOA was estimated in the winter during an intense PM pollution event (PM₁₀>50μgm^-3 for several days; 18% of PM₁₀ and 42% of OC). Specific meteorological conditions with a stagnation of pollutants over 10days and possibly Fenton-like chemistry and self-amplification cycle of SOA formation could explain such high anthropogenic SOA concentrations during this period. Finally, PMF outputs were also used to investigate the origins of humic-like substances (HuLiS), which represented 16% of OC on an annual average basis. The results indicated that HuLiS were mainly associated with biomass burning (22%), secondary inorganic (22%), mineral dust (15%) and biogenic SOA (14%) factors. This study is probably the first to state that HuLiS are significantly associated with mineral dust.

Chemical characterization of humic-like substances (HULIS) in PM2.5 in Lanzhou, China

Evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) was applied to quantify HULIS (humic-like substances) for the first time in 2012 winter and 2013 summer at an urban site in Lanzhou. Water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), water soluble inorganic ions, and carbonaceous species (OC/EC) were also analyzed. The results show that OM (Organic Matter=OC×1.6, constituting 45.8% to PM_2.5) was the most abundant species, followed by SNA (SO₄^2-+NO₃^-+NH₄⁺, constituting 23.4% to PM_2.5). The chemical species were in the order of: OC>EC>SO₄^2->NO₃^->NH₄⁺>Cl^->Ca²⁺>K⁺. The annual average concentration of HULIS was 4.70μg/m^-3 and HULISc (carbon content of HULIS) contributed 6.19% to PM_2.5 and 45.6% to WSOC, indicating that HULIS was the most important components of WSOC. The concentration of HULIS was 2.14±0.80μg/m³ in summer and 7.24±2.77μg/m³ in winter, respectively. The concentrations of HULIS were relatively low and stable in summer, while high and varied dramatically in winter. The abundance of HULISc in WSOC shows a more concentrated distribution in Lanzhou, with a range between 0.28-0.57. The ratios of HULIS/K⁺ were 6.25±1.41 and 6.14±1.96 in summer and winter, respectively, suggesting there were other significant sources in addition to biomass burning emissions. HULIS and WSOC exhibited similar seasonal variation and had a strong positive correlation. In addition to the good relationship (0.89) between HULIS and Cl^- in winter, the great enhancement of HULIS with significantly high Cl^- and relatively low K⁺ in winter indicated that residential coal burning was probably an important HULIS source in winter. Correlation and back trajectory analysis suggested that biomass burning and secondary formation were also important HULIS sources and the contribution of HULIS from dust could be neglected. Adverse meteorological conditions were also important factors for the accumulation of HULIS in winter.

Photosensitised humic-like substances (HULIS) formation processes of atmospheric significance: a review

Photosensitised reactions can produce compounds that closely resemble the humic-like substances (HULIS) occurring in atmospheric aerosols. The relevant processes have been observed in the laboratory, in both gas-solid systems and the aqueous phase. They involve triplet sensitisers (such as benzophenones, anthraquinones and nitroaromatic compounds, which yield reactive triplet states after sunlight absorption) or photogenerated oxidants like (•)OH, in the presence of substrates that undergo oligomerisation reactions upon oxidation. Formation of higher molecular weight compounds, modification of the wettability properties of organic films and photoproduction of substances with humic-like fluorescence properties have been observed as a consequence of the photosensitised reactions. Ozone plays an important but still not completely clear role in gas-solid systems.

On the water-soluble organic nitrogen concentration and mass size distribution during the fog season in the Po Valley, Italy

The study of organic nitrogen gained importance in recent decades due to its links with acid rain, pollution, and eutrophication. In this study, aerosol and fog water samples collected from two sites in Italy during November 2011 were analyzed to characterize their organic nitrogen content. Organic nitrogen contributed 19-25% of the total soluble nitrogen in the aerosol and around 13% in fog water. The largest water soluble organic nitrogen concentrations in the PM1.2 fraction occurred during the diurnal period with mean values of 2.03 and 2.16 μg-N m(-3) (154 and 145 nmol-N m(-3)) at Bologna and San Pietro Capofiume (SPC), respectively. The mean PM10 WSON concentration during diurnal periods at SPC was 2.30 μg-N m(-3) (164 nmol-N m(-3)) while it was 1.34 and 0.82 μg-N m(-3) (95.7 and 58.5 nmol-N m(-3)) in the night and fog water samples, respectively. Aerosol mass distribution profiles obtained during fog changed significantly with respect to those estimated in periods without fog periods due to fog scavenging, which proved to be over 80% efficient. Linear correlations suggested secondary processes related to combustion and, to a lesser extent, biomass burning, as plausible sources of WSON. Regarding the inorganic nitrogen fraction, the results showed that ammonium was the largest soluble inorganic nitrogen component in the samples.

Source apportionment of surfactants in marine aerosols at different locations along the Malacca Straits

This study aims to determine the source apportionment of surfactants in marine aerosols at two selected stations along the Malacca Straits. The aerosol samples were collected using a high volume sampler equipped with an impactor to separate coarse- and fine-mode aerosols. The concentrations of surfactants, as methylene blue active substance and disulphine blue active substance, were analysed using colorimetric method. Ion chromatography was employed to determine the ionic compositions. Principal component analysis combined with multiple linear regression was used to identify and quantify the sources of atmospheric surfactants. The results showed that the surfactants in tropical coastal environments are actively generated from natural and anthropogenic origins. Sea spray (generated from sea-surface microlayers) was found to be a major contributor to surfactants in both aerosol sizes. Meanwhile, the anthropogenic sources (motor vehicles/biomass burning) were predominant contributors to atmospheric surfactants in fine-mode aerosols.

Atmospheric aerosol water-soluble organic carbon measurement: a theoretical analysis

The measurement of Water-Soluble Organic Carbon (WSOC) in atmospheric aerosol is usually carried out by sample collection on filters, extraction in ultrapure water, filtration, and measurement of the total organic carbon. This paper investigates the role of different conditions of sampling and extraction as well as the range of solubilities of the organic compounds that contribute to the WSOC. The sampling and extraction of WSOC can be described by a single parameter, P, expressing the ratio of water used per volume of air sampled on the analyzed filter. Two cases are examined in order to bound the range of interactions of the various organic aerosol components with each other. In the first we assume that the organic species form an ideal solution in the particle and in the second that the extraction of a single compound is independent of the presence of the other organics. The ideal organic solution model predicts that species with water solubility as low as 10(-4) g L(-1) contribute to the measured WSOC. In the other end, the independent compounds model predicts that low-solubility (as low as 10(-7) g L(-1)) compounds are part of the WSOC. Studies of the WSOC composition are consistent with the predictions of the ideal organic solution model. A value of P = 0.1 cm(3) m(-3) is proposed for the extraction of WSOC for typical organic aerosol concentrations (1-10 μg m(-3)). WSOC measurements under high concentration conditions often used during source sampling will tend to give low WSOC values unless higher P values are used.

Seasonal and air mass trajectory effects on dissolved organic matter of bulk deposition at a coastal town in south-western Europe

Rainwater contains a complex mixture of organic compounds which may influence climate, terrestrial and maritime ecosystems and thus human health. In this work, the characteristics of DOM of bulk deposition at a coastal town on the southwest of Europe were assessed by UV-visible and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopies and by dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content. The seasonal and air mass trajectory effects on dissolved organic matter (DOM) of bulk deposition were evaluated. The absorbance at 250 nm (UV(250 nm)) and integrated fluorescence showed to be positively correlated with each other, and they were also positively correlated to the DOC in bulk deposition, which suggest that a constant fraction of DOM is likely to fluoresce. There was more chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) present in summer and autumn seasons than in winter and spring. Bulk deposition associated with terrestrial air masses contained a higher CDOM content than bulk deposition related to marine air masses, thus highlighting the contribution of terrestrial/anthropogenic sources.

Hydration-influenced sorption of organic compounds by model and atmospheric humic-like substances (HULIS)

Atmospheric humic-like substances (HULIS) constitute a major fraction of the water soluble organic carbon of aerosol particles. We investigated sorption and desorption of water and two model organic contaminants (toluene and benzyl alcohol) on HULIS and a standard humic substance (Suwannee River fulvic acid; SRFA) under varying relative humidity using a quartz crystal microbalance. Simultaneous sorption of water and benzyl alcohol (capable of specific interactions like hydrogen bonding or charge transfer) on HULIS and SRFA shows significant, humidity-dependent, cooperative sorption at intermediate water activity, as well as a dependence of sorption distribution coefficient on the wetting-drying pathway. In contrast, sorption of toluene (capable of only nonspecific interactions) was humidity-independent. Atmospheric HULIS is thus found to have several sorption features in common with terrestrial and aquatic humic substances and soil organic matter. These features are consistent with the link solvation model (LSM), whereby water assists in cooperative sorption of specifically interacting compounds by the organic matter sorbent, and subsequent changes in sorbent structure result in sorption hysteresis. Sorption of compounds capable of only nonspecific interactions is unaffected by hydration status. Such sorption features can lead to considerable uncertainty in predicting and modeling transport of organic pollutants in the atmosphere.

Characterization of organic matter in total suspended particles by thermodesorption and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The organic matter in tropospheric aerosol plays an important role in atmospheric physical and chemical processes. The bulk of organic matter, representing a significant proportion of the total suspended particulate (TSP) mass, is bound to polymeric material whose structure and properties are largely unknown. Here we used thermodesorption gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Td-GC/MS) to study organic compounds of low molecular mass and pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to characterize the chemical structure of macromolecules in TSP samples collected in different seasons from different sites in Guangzhou. n-Alkanes, fatty acids and nitriles were the predominant compounds in the thermodesorption products, whereas aromatics, fatty acids, nitriles and n-alkanes/alkenes were the major compounds in the pyrolysates. The results indicated that aromatics were main units in macromolecules. The fatty acids and nitriles formed from carboxylic ammonium salts were detected in both thermodesorption products and pyrolysates at a certain concentration, indicating the importance of these compounds in TSP formation. The TSP source mainly determined the occurrence of compounds in samples from urban, suburban and forest sites, whereas the TSP source and formation process maybe controlled the seasonal variation in compounds detected. High levels of nitriles in summer samples from suburban and forest sites coincide with the release of ammonium from the land and of fatty acids from vegetation at these sites.

Characterisation of solvent extractable organic constituents in atmospheric particulate matter: an overview

In spite of accounting for 10-70% of the atmospheric aerosol mass, particulate-phase organic compounds are not well characterised, and many aspects of aerosol formation and evolution are still unknown. The growing awareness of the impact of particulate aerosols on climate, and the incompletely recognised but serious effects of anthropogenic constituents on air quality and human health, have conducted to several scientific studies. These investigations have provided information about the behaviour of atmospheric particulate matter and the description of the character of its carbonaceous content. The compilation of such results is important as they append to the emergent global-wide dataset of the organic composition of atmospheric aerosols. The contribution of the major emission sources to regional particulate pollution can be diagnosed by using specific molecular markers. This overview is mainly focused on results obtained with gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, since it is the analytical method of choice in elucidating the solvent-extractable organic compounds in atmospheric particulate matter. A synopsis of the selection of organic tracers and the application of geochemical parameters to the analysis of organic constituents as a tool for source apportionment is shown here. Besides the assessment of current knowledge, this paper also presents the identification of further areas of concern.

Oxygenated Interface on Biomass Burn Tar Balls Determined by Single Particle Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy

Carbonaceous particles originating from biomass burning can account for a large fraction of organic aerosols in a local environment. Presently, their composition, physical and chemical properties, as well as their environmental effects are largely unknown. Tar balls, a distinct type of highly spherical carbonaceous biomass burn particles, have been observed in a number of field campaigns. The Yosemite Aerosol Characterization Study that took place in summer 2002 occurred during an active fire season in the western United States; tar balls collected during this field campaign are described in this article. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy are used to determine the shape, structure, and size-dependent chemical composition of approximately 150 individual spherical particles ranging in size from 0.15 to 1.2 mum. The elemental composition of tar balls is approximately 55% atomic carbon and approximately 45% atomic oxygen. Oxygen is present primarily as carboxylic carbonyls and oxygen-substituted alkyl (O-alkyl-C) functional groups, followed by moderate amounts of ketonic carbonyls. The observed chemical composition, density, and carbon functional groups are distinctly different from soot or black carbon and more closely resemble high molecular weight polymeric humic-like substances, which could account for their reported optical properties. A detailed examination of the carboxylic carbonyl and O-alkyl-C functional groups as a function of particle size reveals a thin oxygenated interface layer. The high oxygen content, as well as the presence of water-soluble carboxylic carbonyl groups, could account for the reported hygroscopic properties of tar balls. The presence of the oxygenated layer is attributed to atmospheric processing of biomass burn particles.

Evaporative light scattering: a novel detection method for the quantitative analysis of humic-like substances in aerosols

The chemical composition of organic atmospheric aerosols is only poorly understood. Although a significant fraction of organic aerosols consists of humic-like substances (HULIS), only little is known about this class of compound, and accurate quantification remains difficult, partly due to the lack of appropriate standards. Here, evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD) was applied for the first time to quantify water-soluble HULIS in aerosol particles smaller than 1 microm. This detection method was shown to be suitable for the quantification of compounds with unknown structures and lacking appropriate quantification standards. As compared to organic carbon determination of isolated HULIS, no organic carbon/organic mass (OC/OM) conversion factor needs to be applied with ELSD and therefore eliminates this significant uncertainty factor of the OC/OM method, which is frequently used to quantify HULIS. Solid-phase extraction and size-exclusion chromatography were applied to separate inorganic ions and low molecular weight compounds from HULIS before ELSD quantification. The ELSD itself provides an additional separation step where low volatility HULIS are separated from high volatility, small compounds. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to identify the molecular weight range of the compounds quantified with ELSD. The most intensive peaks were in the range of m/z 200-500, with some masses upto m/z800. We showed that UV detection using fulvic acid as surrogate quantification standard underestimates the HULIS concentration by a factor of 1.1 to 2.5, which is in agreement with earlier studies. During a 6 week winter 2005-2006 campaign at a suburban site near Zurich, Switzerland, an average of 1.1 microg/m(3) HULIS was found, which is about4-6% of the total particle mass smaller than 1 microm (PM1) and 10-35% of the organic matter in PM1.

Molecular size evolution of oligomers in organic aerosols collected in urban atmospheres and generated in a smog chamber

Only a minor fraction of the total organic aerosol mass can be resolved on a molecular level. High molecular weight compounds in organic aerosols have recently gained much attention because this class of compound potentially explains a major fraction of the unexplained organic aerosol mass. These compounds have been identified with different mass spectrometric methods, and compounds with molecular masses up to 1000 Da are found in secondary organic aerosols (SOA) generated from aromatic and terpene precursors in smog chamber experiments. Here, we apply matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) to SOA particles from two biogenic precursors, alpha-pinene and isoprene. Similar oligomer patterns are found in these two SOA systems, but also in SOA from trimethylbenzene, an anthropogenic SOA precursor. However, different maxima molecular sizes were measured for these three SOA systems. While oligomers in alpha-pinene and isoprene have sizes mostly below 600-700 Da, they grow up to about 1000 Da in trimethylbenzene-SOA. The final molecular size of the oligomers is reached early during the particle aging process, whereas other particle properties related to aging, such as the overall acid concentration or the oligomer concentration, increase continuously over a much longer time scale. This kinetic behavior of the oligomer molecular size growth can be explained by a chain growth kinetic regime. Similar oligomer mass patterns were measured in aqueous extracts of ambient aerosol samples (measured with the same technique). Distinct differences between summer and winter were observed. In summer a few single mass peaks were measured with much higher intensity than in winter, pointing to a possible difference in the formation processes of these compounds in winter and summer.

Water-soluble oligomer formation from acid-catalyzed reactions of levoglucosan in proxies of atmospheric aqueous aerosols

Herein is reported the first laboratory observation of the oligomerization of levoglucosan studied under atmospherically relevant conditions. Oligomers up to 1458 Da (9-mer) were measured by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A rational mechanism is proposed based on both the acid-catalyzed cationic ring-opening of levoglucosan and nucleophilic attack of ROH from levoglucosan on the hemi-acetal carbon to produce pyranose oligomers through the formation of glycosidic bonds. Oligomer formation is further supported by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Levoglucosan is a viable tracer for biomass burning aerosols, and the observed products may serve as secondary tracers for these types of aerosols, possibly providing additional information to facilitate source apportionment and better understand atmospheric processing of the aerosol parcel. Also, the processes supported here may contribute to the saccharide character of humic-like substances, which are proposed to be formed through the atmospheric processing of biomass burning aerosols.

Atmospheric carbonaceous aerosols over grasslands of central Europe and a Boreal forest

A labour-intensive analytical technique was applied to atmospheric particulate matter samples collected in a German urban/industrial influenced grassland location (Melpitz) and in a Finnish forest area (Hyytiälä) in order to achieve a detailed chemical speciation of the organic content. The representative nature of the solvent and water-extractable fractions was determined. The organic compounds identified in the solvent extracts are represented by primary compounds with both anthropogenic and biogenic origin, which mainly derive from the vegetation waxes and from petrogenic sources. Secondary products resulting from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds were also detected. The German meadow presented the highest levels of sugars and acidic compounds in the water extracts, whilst polyols were the most abundant class in the Finnish forest. The major compounds of these classes were malic acid, mannitol, arabitol, glucose and sucrose. Levoglucosan was also found in the water extract.

Sorption of a diverse set of organic vapors to urban aerosols

Sorption to urban aerosols is a key process in determining the transport and fate of organic pollutants in the atmosphere. The sorption properties of two urban aerosol samples have been determined using aerosol/air partition coefficients measured for a large set of diverse organic vapors. The dominant sorption process could be identified for both samples with two complementary methods: (a) by applying poly-parameter linear free energy relationships (LFERs) to the data sets, and (b) by evaluating the specific surface area, the elemental carbon (EC) content, and the organic matter (OM) content of the aerosols in combination with various sorbent-air partition coefficients from the literature. This revealed that sorption to the two urban aerosols was dominated by absorption into OM and that the diverse data set could be evaluated with an absorption model. The data further revealed that neither EC nor OM was fully available for sorption. The latter leads to the hypothesis that aerosol OM in urban samples has characteristics comparable to those of glassy polymers.

Hygroscopicity of water-soluble organic compounds in atmospheric aerosols: amino acids and biomass burning derived organic species

Amino acids and organic species derived from biomass burning can potentially affect the hygroscopicity and cloud condensation activities of aerosols. The hygroscopicity of seven amino acids (glycine, alanine, serine, glutamine, threonine, arginine, and asparagine) and three organic species most commonly detected in biomass burning aerosols (levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan) were measured using an electrodynamic balance. Crystallization was observed in the glycine, alanine, serine, glutamine, and threonine particles upon evaporation of water, while no phase transition was observed in the arginine and asparagine particles even at 5% relative humidity (RH). Water activity data from these aqueous amino acid particles, except arginine and asparagine, was used to revise the interaction parameters in UNIQUAC functional group activity coefficients to give predictions to within 15% of the measurements. Levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan particles did not crystallize nor did they deliquesce. They existed as highly concentrated liquid droplets at low RH, suggesting that biomass burning aerosols retain water at low RH. In addition, these particles follow a very similar pattern in hygroscopic growth. A generalized growth law (Gf = (1 - RH/100)-0.095) is proposed for levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan particles.

Rapid Extraction of Water Soluble Organic Compounds from Airborne Particulate Matter

Water soluble organic compounds (WSOC) in airborne particulate matter (PM) have received considerable attention in recent years due to their abundance and their importance in atmospheric processes. The analysis of WSOC is necessary for quantifying the relative contribution of individual organic compounds to the total WSOC mass. In the present work, we evaluated the performance of a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method for the determination of WSOC in PM and compared the data with those of a conventional ultrasonic extraction (USE). The experimental results showed that the MAE method requires a shorter extraction time (5 min) compared to USE. The isolated water-soluble organic fraction of PM was subsequently analyzed using ion chromatography (IC) for low molecular weight organic acids. The rapid MAE method was used in conjunction with IC for the analysis of organic acids in PM samples, collected from different sources.

Simplification of the representation of the organic component of atmospheric particulates

We present an analysis of recent field data to investigate the variation in the organic component of atmospheric aerosol and its behaviour in the moist environment. In all locations the degree of oxygenation of the organic material increases with photochemical age, as does the particulate hygroscopicity. These changes will generally occur in spatial scales comparable to a single cell in global models at representative boundary layer wind speeds. Using ADDEM, a new model of the equilibrium state of multicomponent aerosol, we show that inorganic component changes must be responsible for the increase in particulate hygroscopicity with photochemical age. It is suggested that a common representation of nearfield and background organic aerosol composition is sufficient to describe the behaviour of organic components in a variety of field experiments; nearfield small mode organics being dominated by a combustion-derived unoxidised signature, whilst the background accumulation mode is more oxygenated and dominates in air masses with a photochemical age of more than a couple of days. This representation may be used within the sub-saturated regime to predict the behaviour of ambient particulates in the moist atmosphere. Whether a similar common representation can be used for cloud activation prediction in supersaturated environments, or for investigation of gas-to-particle partitioning, should be investigated.

Surfactants in atmospheric aerosols

The concentration and characteristics of anionic and cationic aerosol surfactants at a range of locations were determined as methylene blue active substances (MBAS) and ethyl violet active substances (EVAS) for anionic surfactants and as disulfine blue active substances (DBAS) for the cationic surfactants. Results showed that the anionic surfactants (in the pmol m(-3) range) dominated the concentration of surfactant in atmospheric aerosols. The concentration of both MBAS and EVAS is typically higher on the finer aerosol fractions. Further study on the aerosols found both MBAS and EVAS had the ability to reduce the surface tension of aqueous extracts of the aerosol. MBAS were more readily destroyed on exposure to a high intensity of UV light than were EVAS. The source of these seemingly ubiquitous compounds is not clear, but we note that anionic surfactants are easily derived from degraded or oxidized soots, especially that from diesel engines.

Identification of Levoglucosan and Related Steroisomers in Fog Water as a Biomass Combustion Tracer by ESI-MS/MS

A conspicuous fraction of the water soluble organic compounds (WSOC) in fog and fine aerosol samples is composed by monosaccharide anhydrides, such as levoglucosan and its stereoisomers, galactosan and mannosan. Levoglucosan is produced exclusively during wood combustion processes, making it a very useful tracer for plant combustion emissions in the atmosphere. This paper describes a new experimental approach, based on electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS), for the identification of levoglucosan in fog water samples. The analytical method proposed allows to identify the specific sugar anhydrides directly in the liquid phase without the need of any derivatization process.

Hygroscopic properties of two model humic-like substances and their mixtures with inorganics of atmospheric importance

Water-soluble macromolecular polyacids can play a potentially important role in the hygroscopic properties of atmospheric aerosols. These acids have molecular structures similar to natural fulvic acids (FA) (or humic acids) and are referred to as humic-like substances (HULIS). In this study, the hygroscopicity of HULIS and the mixture of HULIS and sodium chloride (NaCl) and that of HULIS and ammonium sulfate (AS) aerosols at a mass ratio of 1:1 are studied using two natural FA: the Nordic Aquatic Fulvic Acid (NAFA) and the Suwannee River Fulvic Acid (SRFA) as model compounds in an electrodynamic balance. NAFA and SRFA both absorbed and desorbed water reversibly without crystallization and retained water at a relative humidity (RH) < 10%. NAFA and SRFA have a mass growth ratio of 1.25 and 1.45 from RH = 10% to RH = 90%, respectively. However, these results are different from those of another natural FA (the Nordic River Fulvic Acid Reference) in the literature. The differences are possibly due to the differences in the chemical composition of the natural FA, which depends on their sources and the isolation methods. These results suggest that a standardization of the isolation methods of HULIS is needed for better understanding of their atmospheric properties and environmental impacts. In general, the deliquescence and crystallization RH of FA-inorganic mixtures are comparable with those of their respective pure inorganic species. Since FA are less hygroscopic than NaCl and AS, all mixtures absorb less water compared to their respective pure inorganic species of equal particle mass. The FA-AS mixtures have a larger water uptake than the sum of those of the FA and AS individually following a simple additivity rule as noninteracting species at RH = 90%. This enhancement effect increases as the RH decreases. There is no such enhancement effect for the FA-NaCl mixtures until RH is below 90%. These results reveal that the effect of the interactions between FA and inorganic species on the water uptake of the mixtures, in general, is a function of RH.