Formation of Chromophores from cis-Pinonaldehyde Aged in Highly Acidic Conditions

Sulfuric acid in the atmosphere can participate in acid-catalyzed and acid-driven reactions, including those within secondary organic aerosols (SOA). Previous studies have observed enhanced absorption at visible wavelengths and significant changes in the chemical composition when SOA was exposed to sulfuric acid. However, the specific chromophores responsible for these changes could not be identified. The goals of this study are to identify the chromophores and determine the mechanism of browning in highly acidified α-pinene SOA by following the behavior of specific common α-pinene oxidation products, namely, cis-pinonic acid and cis-pinonaldehyde, when they are exposed to highly acidic conditions. The products of these reactions were analyzed with ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array spectrophotometry and high-resolution mass spectrometry, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. cis-Pinonic acid (2) was found to form homoterpenyl methyl ketone (4), which does not absorb visible radiation, while cis-pinonaldehyde (3) formed weakly absorbing 1-(4-(propan-2-ylidene)cyclopent-1-en-1-yl)ethan-1-one (5) and 1-(4-isopropylcyclopenta-1,3-dien-1-yl)ethan-1-one (6) via an acid-catalyzed aldol condensation. This chemistry could be relevant for environments characterized by high sulfuric acid concentrations, for example, during the transport of organic compounds from the lower to the upper atmosphere by fast updrafts.

Synergistic Effects of SO2 and NH3 Coexistence on SOA Formation from Gasoline Evaporative Emissions

Vehicular evaporative emissions make an increasing contribution to anthropogenic sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), thus contributing to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. However, few studies have been conducted on SOA formation from vehicle evaporative VOCs under complex pollution conditions with the coexistence of NO_x, SO₂, and NH₃. In this study, the synergistic effects of SO₂ and NH₃ on SOA formation from gasoline evaporative VOCs with NO_x were examined using a 30 m³ smog chamber with the aid of a series of mass spectrometers. Compared with the systems involving SO₂ or NH₃ alone, SO₂ and NH₃ coexistence had a greater promotion effect on SOA formation, which was larger than the cumulative effect of the two promotions alone. Meanwhile, contrasting effects of SO₂ on the oxidation state (OSc) of SOA in the presence or absence of NH₃ were observed, and SO₂ could further increase the OSc with the coexistence of NH₃. The latter was attributed to the synergistic effects of SO₂ and NH₃ coexistence on SOA formation, wherein N-S-O adducts can be formed from the reaction of SO₂ with N-heterocycles generated in the presence of NH₃. Our study contributes to the understanding of SOA formation from vehicle evaporative VOCs under highly complex pollution conditions and its atmospheric implications.

Organic synthesis in the study of terpene-derived oxidation products in the atmosphere

Covering: 1997 up to 2022Volatile biogenic terpenes involved in the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles participate in rich atmospheric chemistry that impacts numerous aspects of the earth's complex climate system. Despite the importance of these species, understanding their fate in the atmosphere and determining their atmospherically-relevant properties has been limited by the availability of authentic standards and probe molecules. Advances in synthetic organic chemistry directly aimed at answering these questions have, however, led to exciting discoveries at the interface of chemistry and atmospheric science. Herein we provide a review of the literature regarding the synthesis of commercially unavailable authentic standards used to analyze the composition, properties, and mechanisms of SOA particles in the atmosphere.

Review of the influencing factors of secondary organic aerosol formation and aging mechanism based on photochemical smog chamber simulation methods

The formation and aging mechanism of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and its influencing factors have attracted increasing attention in recent years because of their effects on climate change, atmospheric quality and human health. However, there are still large errors between air quality model simulation results and field observations. The currently undetected components during the formation and aging of SOA due to the limitation of current monitoring techniques and the interactions among multiple SOA formation influencing factors might be the main reasons for the differences. In this paper, we present a detailed review of the complex dynamic physical and chemical processes and the corresponding influencing factors involved in SOA formation and aging. And all these results were mainly based the studies of photochemical smog chamber simulation. Although the properties of precursor volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxidants (such as OH radicals), and atmospheric environmental factors (such as NO_x, SO₂, NH₃, light intensity, temperature, humidity and seed aerosols) jointly influence the products and yield of SOA, the nucleation and vapor pressure of these products were found to be the most fundamental aspects when interpreting the dynamics of the SOA formation and aging process. The development of techniques for measuring intermediate species in SOA generation processes and the study of SOA generation and aging mechanism in complex systems should be important topics of future SOA research.

Heterogeneous Formation of Organonitrates (ON) and Nitroxy-Organosulfates (NOS) from Adsorbed α-Pinene-Derived Organosulfates (OS) on Mineral Surfaces

Organonitrates (ON) and nitroxy-organosulfates (NOS) are important components of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). Gas-phase reactions of α-pinene (C₁₀H₁₆), a primary precursor for several ON compounds, are fairly well understood although formation pathways for NOS largely remain unknown. NOS formation may occur via reactions of ON and organic peroxides with sulfates as well as through radical-initiated photochemical processes. Despite the fact that organosulfates (OS) represent a significant portion of the organic aerosol mass, ON and NOS formation from OS is less understood, especially through nighttime heterogeneous and multiphase chemistry pathways. In the current study, surface reactions of adsorbed α-pinene-derived OS with nitrogen oxides on hematite and kaolinite surfaces, common components of mineral dust, have been investigated. α-Pinene reacts with sulfated mineral surfaces, forming a range of OS compounds on the surface. These OS compounds when adsorbed on mineral surfaces can further react with HNO₃ and NO₂, producing several ON and NOS compounds as well as several oxidation products. Overall, this study reveals the complexity of reactions of prevalent organic compounds leading to the formation of OS, ON, and NOS via heterogeneous and multiphase reaction pathways on mineral surfaces. It is also shown that this chemistry is mineralogy-specific.

Highly Acidic Conditions Drastically Alter the Chemical Composition and Absorption Coefficient of α-Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol

Secondary organic aerosols (SOA), formed through the gas-phase oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), can reside in the atmosphere for many days. The formation of SOA takes place rapidly within hours after VOC emissions, but SOA can undergo much slower physical and chemical processes throughout their lifetime in the atmosphere. The acidity of atmospheric aerosols spans a wide range, with the most acidic particles having negative pH values, which can promote acid-catalyzed reactions. The goal of this work is to elucidate poorly understood mechanisms and rates of acid-catalyzed aging of mixtures of representative SOA compounds. SOA were generated by the ozonolysis of α-pinene in a continuous flow reactor and then collected using a foil substrate. SOA samples were extracted and aged by exposure to varying concentrations of aqueous H₂SO₄ for 1-2 days. Chemical analysis of fresh and aged samples was conducted using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array spectrophotomety and high-resolution mass spectrometry. In addition, UV-vis spectrophotometry and fluorescence spectrophotometry were used to examine the changes in optical properties before and after aging. We observed that SOA that aged in moderately acidic conditions (pH from 0 to 4) experienced small changes in composition, while SOA that aged in a highly acidic environment (pH from -1 to 0) experienced more dramatic changes in composition, including the formation of compounds containing sulfur. Additionally, at highly acidic conditions, light-absorbing and fluorescent compounds appeared, but their identities could not be ascertained due to their small relative abundance. This study shows that acidity is a major driver of SOA aging, resulting in a large change in the chemical composition and optical properties of aerosols in regions where high concentrations of H₂SO₄ persist, such as upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.

Heterogeneous Reactions of α-Pinene on Mineral Surfaces: Formation of Organonitrates and α-Pinene Oxidation Products

Organonitrates (ON) are important components of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). α-Pinene (C₁₀H₁₆), the most abundant monoterpene in the troposphere, is a precursor for the formation of several of these compounds. ON from α-pinene can be produced in the gas phase via photochemical processes and/or following reactions with oxidizers including hydroxyl radical and ozone. Gas-phase nitrogen oxides (NO₂, NO₃) are N sources for ON formation. Although gas-phase reactions of α-pinene that yield ON are fairly well understood, little is known about their formation through heterogeneous and multiphase pathways. In the current study, surface reactions of α-pinene with nitrogen oxides on hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) and kaolinite (SiO₂Al₂O₃(OH)₄) surfaces, common components of mineral dust, have been investigated. α-Pinene oxidizes upon adsorption on kaolinite, forming pinonaldehyde, which then dimerizes on the surface. Furthermore, α-pinene is shown to react with adsorbed nitrate species on these mineral surfaces producing multiple ON and other oxidation products. Additionally, gas-phase oxidation products of α-pinene on mineral surfaces are shown to more strongly adsorb on the surface compared to α-pinene. Overall, this study reveals the complexity of reactions of prevalent organic compounds such as α-pinene with adsorbed nitrate and nitrogen dioxide, revealing new heterogeneous reaction pathways for SOA formation that is mineralogy specific.

Reactive Uptake of Hydroperoxymethyl Thioformate to Sodium Chloride and Sodium Iodide Aerosol Particles

The oxidation products of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) contribute to the production and growth of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the marine boundary layer. Recent work demonstrates that DMS is oxidized by OH radicals to the stable intermediate hydroperoxymethyl thioformate (HPMTF), which is both globally ubiquitous and efficiently lost to multiphase processes in the marine atmosphere. At present, there are no experimental measurements of the reactive uptake of HPMTF to aerosol particles, limiting model implementation of multiphase HPMTF chemistry. Using an entrained aerosol flow reactor combined with chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS), we measured the reactive uptake coefficient (γ) of HPMTF to dry sodium chloride (NaCl), wet NaCl, and wet sodium iodide (NaI) particles to be (1.9 ± 1.3) × 10^-4, (1.6 ± 0.6) × 10^-3, and (9.2 ± 2.3) × 10^-1, respectively. While we did not directly measure the condensed-phase products of HPMTF reactive uptake in this experiment, the ionization products observed in the CIMS instrument provide mechanistic insight on the reaction mechanism of HPMTF with halides.

Chemistry and human exposure implications of secondary organic aerosol production from indoor terpene ozonolysis

Surface cleaning using commercial disinfectants, which has recently increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, can generate secondary indoor pollutants both in gas and aerosol phases. It can also affect indoor air quality and health, especially for workers repeatedly exposed to disinfectants. Here, we cleaned the floor of a mechanically ventilated office room using a commercial cleaner while concurrently measuring gas-phase precursors, oxidants, radicals, secondary oxidation products, and aerosols in real-time; these were detected within minutes after cleaner application. During cleaning, indoor monoterpene concentrations exceeded outdoor concentrations by two orders of magnitude, increasing the rate of ozonolysis under low (<10 ppb) ozone levels. High number concentrations of freshly nucleated sub-10-nm particles (≥10⁵ cm^-3) resulted in respiratory tract deposited dose rates comparable to or exceeding that of inhalation of vehicle-associated aerosols.

Molecular Chirality and Cloud Activation Potentials of Dimeric α-Pinene Oxidation Products

The surface activity of ten atmospherically relevant α-pinene-derived dimers having varying terminal functional groups and backbone stereochemistry is reported. We find ∼10% differences in surface activity between diastereomers of the same dimer, demonstrating that surface activity depends upon backbone stereochemistry. Octanol-water (K_OW) and octanol-ammonium sulfate partitioning coefficient (K_OAS) measurements of our standards align well with the surface activity measurements, with the more surface-active dimers exhibiting increased hydrophobicity. Our findings establish a link between molecular chirality and cloud activation potential of secondary organic aerosol particles. Given the diurnal variations in enantiomeric excess of biogenic emissions, possible contributions of such a link to biosphere:atmosphere feedbacks as well as aerosol particle viscosity and phase separation are discussed.

Acidity and the multiphase chemistry of atmospheric aqueous particles and clouds

The acidity of aqueous atmospheric solutions is a key parameter driving both the partitioning of semi-volatile acidic and basic trace gases and their aqueous-phase chemistry. In addition, the acidity of atmospheric aqueous phases, e.g., deliquesced aerosol particles, cloud, and fog droplets, is also dictated by aqueous-phase chemistry. These feedbacks between acidity and chemistry have crucial implications for the tropospheric lifetime of air pollutants, atmospheric composition, deposition to terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems, visibility, climate, and human health. Atmospheric research has made substantial progress in understanding feedbacks between acidity and multiphase chemistry during recent decades. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge on these feedbacks with a focus on aerosol and cloud systems, which involve both inorganic and organic aqueous-phase chemistry. Here, we describe the impacts of acidity on the phase partitioning of acidic and basic gases and buffering phenomena. Next, we review feedbacks of different acidity regimes on key chemical reaction mechanisms and kinetics, as well as uncertainties and chemical subsystems with incomplete information. Finally, we discuss atmospheric implications and highlight the need for future investigations, particularly with respect to reducing emissions of key acid precursors in a changing world, and the need for advancements in field and laboratory measurements and model tools.

Synergistic Uptake by Acidic Sulfate Particles of Gaseous Mixtures of Glyoxal and Pinanediol

The uptake of gaseous organic species by atmospheric particles can be affected by the reactive interactions among multiple co-condensing species, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understand. Here, the uptake of unary and binary mixtures of glyoxal and pinanediol by neutral and acidic sulfate particles is investigated. These species are important products from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under atmospheric conditions. The uptake to acidic aerosol particles greatly increased for a binary mixture of glyoxal and pinanediol compared to the unary counterparts. The strength of the synergism depended on the particle acidity and water content (i.e., relative humidity). The greater uptake was up to 2.5× to 8× at 10% relative humidity (RH) for glyoxal and pinanediol, respectively. At 50% RH, it was 2× and 1.2× for the two species. Possible mechanisms of acid-catalyzed cross reactions between the species are proposed to explain the synergistic uptake. The proposed mechanisms are applicable to a broader extent across atmospheric species having carbonyl and hydroxyl functionalities. The results thus suggest that synergistic uptake reactions can be expected to significantly influence the gas-particle partitioning of VOC oxidation products under atmospheric conditions and thus greatly affect their atmospheric transport and lifetime.

New mechanistic pathways for the formation of organosulfates catalyzed by ammonia and carbinolamine formation catalyzed by sulfuric acid in the atmosphere

Sulfuric acid exerts a remarkable catalytic role in the H₂SO₄ + HCHO + NH₃ reaction that leads to the formation of carbinolamine.

Quantifying the Role of the Relative Humidity-Dependent Physical State of Organic Particulate Matter in the Uptake of Semivolatile Organic Molecules

The uptake of gas-phase dicarboxylic acids to organic particulate matter (PM) was investigated to probe the role of the PM physical state in exchange processes between gas-phase semivolatile organic molecules and organic PM. A homologous series of probe molecules, specifically isotopically labeled ¹³C-dicarboxylic acids, was used in conjunction with aerosol mass spectrometry to obtain a quantitative characterization of the uptake to organic PM for different relative humidities (RHs). The PM was produced by the dark ozonolysis of unlabeled α-pinene. The uptake of ¹³C-labeled oxalic, malonic, and α-ketoglutaric acids increased stepwise by 5 to 15 times with increases in RH from 15 to 80%. The enhanced uptake with increasing RH was explained primarily by the higher molecular diffusivity in the particle phase, as associated with changes in the physical state of the organic PM from a nonliquid state to a progressively less-viscous liquid state. At high RH, the partitioning of the probe molecules to the particle phase was more associated with physicochemical interactions with the organic PM than that with the co-absorbed liquid water. Uptake of the probe molecules also increased with a decrease in volatility along the homologous series. This study quantitatively shows the key roles of the particle physical state in governing the interactions of organic PM with semivolatile organic molecules.

Effects of pH on Interfacial Ozonolysis of α-Terpineol

Acidity changes the physical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles and the mechanisms of reactions that occur therein and on the surface. Here, we used surface-sensitive pneumatic ionization mass spectrometry to investigate the effects of pH on the heterogeneous reactions of aqueous α-terpineol (C₁₀H₁₇OH), a representative monoterpene alcohol, with gaseous ozone. Rapid (≤10 μs) ozonolysis of α-terpineol produced Criegee intermediates (CIs, zwitterionic/diradical carbonyl oxides) on the surface of water microjets. We studied the effects of microjet bulk pH (1-11) on the formation of functionalized carboxylate and α-hydroxy-hydroperoxide chloride adduct (HH-Cl^-) products generated by isomerization and hydration of α-terpineol CIs, respectively. Compared with the signal at pH ≈ 6, the mass spectral signal of HH-Cl^- was less intense under both basic and more acidic conditions, whereas the intensity of the functionalized carboxylate signal increased with increasing pH up to 4 and then remained constant. The decrease of HH-Cl^- signals at bulk pH values of >6 is attributable to the accumulation of OH^- at the air-water interface that suppresses the relative abundance of hydrophilic HH and Cl^-. The present study suggests that α-terpineol in ambient aqueous organic aerosols will be converted into much lower volatile and potentially toxic organic hydroperoxides during the heterogeneous ozonolysis.

Nitrogen-Containing Low Volatile Compounds from Pinonaldehyde-Dimethylamine Reaction in the Atmosphere: A Laboratory and Field Study

Pinonaldehyde, which is among the most abundant oxidation products of α-pinene, and dimethylamine were selected to study the formation of N-containing low volatile compounds from aldehyde-amine reactions in the atmosphere. Gas phase reactions took place in a Tedlar bag, which was connected to a mass spectrometer ionization source via a short deactivated fused silica column. In addition to on-line analysis, abundance of gaseous precursors and reaction products were monitored off-line. Condensable products were extracted from the bag's walls with a suitable solvent and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to chemical ionization high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization Orbitrap mass spectrometry. The reactions carried out resulted in several mid-low vapor pressure nitrogen-containing compounds that are potentially important for the formation of secondary organic aerosols in the atmosphere. Further, the presence of brown carbon, confirmed by liquid chromatography-UV-vis-mass spectrometry, was observed. Some of the compounds identified in the laboratory study were also observed in aerosol samples collected at SMEAR II station (Hyytiälä, Finland) in August 2015 suggesting the importance of aldehyde-amine reactions for the aerosol formation and growth.

Water Uptake and Hygroscopic Growth of Organosulfate Aerosol

Organosulfates (OS) are important components of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) that have been identified in numerous field studies. This class of compounds within SOA can potentially affect aerosol physicochemical properties such as hygroscopicity because of their polar and hydrophilic nature as well as their low volatility. Currently, there is a dearth of information on how aerosol particles that contain OS interact with water vapor in the atmosphere. Herein we report a laboratory investigation on the hygroscopic properties of a structurally diverse set of OS salts at varying relative humidity (RH) using a Hygroscopicity-Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (H-TDMA). The OS studied include the potassium salts of glycolic acid sulfate, hydroxyacetone sulfate, 4-hydroxy-2,3-epoxybutane sulfate, and 2-butenediol sulfate and the sodium salts of benzyl sulfate, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, and propyl sulfate. In addition, mixtures of OS and sodium chloride were also studied. The results showed gradual deliquescence of these aerosol particles characterized by continuous uptake and evaporation of water in both hydration and dehydration processes for the OS, while the mixture showed prompt deliquescence and effloresce transitions, albeit at a lower relative humidity relative to pure sodium chloride. Hygroscopic growth of these OS at 85% RH were also fit to parameterized functional forms. This new information provided here has important implications about the atmospheric lifetime, light scattering properties, and the role of OS in cloud formation. Moreover, results of these studies can ultimately serve as a basis for the development and evaluation of thermodynamic models for these compounds in order to consider their impact on the atmosphere.

Insights into secondary organic aerosol formation mechanisms from measured gas/particle partitioning of specific organic tracer compounds

In situ measurements of organic compounds in both gas and particle phases were made with a thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography (TAG) instrument. The gas/particle partitioning of phthalic acid, pinonaldehyde, and 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone is discussed in detail to explore secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation mechanisms. Measured fractions in the particle phase (f(part)) of 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone were similar to those expected from the absorptive gas/particle partitioning theory, suggesting that its partitioning is dominated by absorption processes. However, f(part) of phthalic acid and pinonaldehyde were substantially higher than predicted. The formation of low-volatility products from reactions of phthalic acid with ammonia is proposed as one possible mechanism to explain the high f(part) of phthalic acid. The observations of particle-phase pinonaldehyde when inorganic acids were fully neutralized indicate that inorganic acids are not required for the occurrence of reactive uptake of pinonaldehyde on particles. The observed relationship between f(part) of pinonaldehyde and relative humidity suggests that the aerosol water plays a significant role in the formation of particle-phase pinonaldehyde. Our results clearly show it is necessary to include multiple gas/particle partitioning pathways in models to predict SOA and multiple SOA tracers in source apportionment models to reconstruct SOA.

Ozone-driven secondary organic aerosol production chain

Acidic sulfate particles are known to enhance secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass in the oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) through accretion reactions and organosulfate formation. Enhanced phase transfer of epoxides, which form during the BVOC oxidation, into the acidified sulfate particles is shown to explain the latter process. We report here a newly identified ozone-driven SOA production chain that increases SOA formation dramatically. In this process, the epoxides interact with acidic sulfate particles, forming a new generation of highly reactive VOCs through isomerization. These VOCs partition back into the gas phase and undergo a new round of SOA forming oxidation reactions. Depending on the nature of the isomerized VOCs, their next generation oxidation forms highly oxygenated terpenoic acids or organosulfates. Atmospheric evidence is presented for the existence of marker compounds originating from this chain. The identified process partly explains the enhanced SOA formation in the presence of acidic particles on a molecular basis and could be an important source of missing SOA precursor VOCs that are currently not included in atmospheric models.

Dry Deposition of Biogenic Terpenes via Cationic Oligomerization on Environmental Aqueous Surfaces

Unraveling the complex interactions between the atmosphere and the biosphere is critical for predicting climate changes. Although it is well-recognized that the large amounts of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by plants must play important roles in this regard, current atmospheric models fail to account for their fate due to missing chemical sinks. Here, we applied online electrospray mass spectrometry to monitor aqueous microjets exposed to gaseous monoterpenes (α-pinene, β-pinene, and d-limonene) and found that these BVOCs are readily protonated (to C10H17(+)) and undergo oligomerization (to C20H33(+) and C30H49(+)) upon colliding with the surface of pH < 4 microjets. By considering that the yields of all products show inflection points at pH ≈ 3.5 and display solvent kinetic hydrogen isotope effects larger than 2, we conclude that the oligomerization process is initiated by weakly hydrated hydronium ions, H3O(+), present at the gas-water interface. Present results provide a universal mechanism for the dry deposition of unsaturated BVOCs and may account for recent observations on the uptake of terpenes in forest canopies and over grassland.

Accretion reactions of octanal catalyzed by sulfuric acid: product identification, reaction pathways, and atmospheric implications

Atmospheric accretion reactions of octanal with sulfuric acid as a catalyst were investigated in bulk liquid-liquid experiments and gas-particle experiments. In bulk studies, trioxane, alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde, and trialkyl benzene were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as major reaction products with increasing sulfuric acid concentrations (0-86 wt%). Cyclotrimerization and one or multiple steps of aldol condensation are proposed as possible accretion reaction pathways. High molecular weight (up to 700 Da) oligomers were also observed by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry in reactions under extremely high acid concentration conditions (86 wt%). Gas-particle experiments using a reaction cell were carried out using both high (approximately 20 ppmv) and low (approximately 900 ppbv) gas-phase octanal concentrations under a wide range of relative humidity (RH, from < 1% to 50%, corresponding to > 80 wt% to 43 wt% H2SO4) and long reaction durations (24 h). One or multiple steps of aldol condensation occurred under low RH (< 1% and 10%, > 80 wt% and 64 wt% H2SO4, respectively) and high octanal concentration (approximately 20 ppmv) conditions. No cyclotrimerization was observed in the gas-particle experiments even under RH conditions corresponding to similar sulfuric acid concentration conditions that favor cyclotrimerization in bulk studies. No accretion reaction product was found in the low octanal concentration (approximately 900 ppbv) experiments, which indicates that the accretion reactions are not significant as expected when the gas-phase octanal concentration is low. A kinetic analysis of the first-step aldol condensation product was performed to understand the discrepancies between the bulk and gas-particle experiments and between the high and low octanal concentrations in the gas-particle experiments. The comparisons between experimental results and kinetic estimations suggest that caution should be exercised in the extrapolation of laboratory experiment results to ambient conditions.

Rate coefficients for the OH + pinonaldehyde (C10H16O2) reaction between 297 and 374 K

The rate coefficientforthe reaction of OH with pinonaldehyde (C10H16O2, 3-acetyl-2,2-dimethyl-cyclobutyl-ethanal), a product of the atmospheric oxidation of alpha-pinene, was measured under pseudo-first-order conditions in OH at temperatures between 297 and 374 K at 55 and 96 Torr (He). Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) was used to monitor OH in the presence of pinonaldehyde following its production by 248 nm pulsed laser photolysis of H2O2. The reaction exhibits a negative temperature dependence with an Arrhenius expression of k1(T) = (4.5 +/- 1.3) x 10(-12) exp((600 +/- 100)/ 7) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1); k1(297 K) = (3.46 +/- 0.4) x 10(-11) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). There was no observed dependence of the rate coefficient on pressure. Our results are compared with previous relative rate determinations of k1 near 297 K and the discrepancies are discussed. The state of knowledge for the atmospheric processing of pinonaldehyde is reviewed, and its role as a marker for alpha-pinene (monoterpene) chemistry in the atmosphere is discussed.