Atmospheric peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN): a global budget and source attribution

Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) formed in the atmospheric oxidation of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) is the principal tropospheric reservoir for nitrogen oxide radicals (NOx = NO + NO2). PAN enables the transport and release of NOx to the remote troposphere with major implications for the global distributions of ozone and OH, the main tropospheric oxidants. Simulation of PAN is a challenge for global models because of the dependence of PAN on vertical transport as well as complex and uncertain NMVOC sources and chemistry. Here we use an improved representation of NMVOCs in a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) and show that it can simulate PAN observations from aircraft campaigns worldwide. The immediate carbonyl precursors for PAN formation include acetaldehyde (44% of the global source), methylglyoxal (30 %), acetone (7 %), and a suite of other isoprene and terpene oxidation products (19 %). A diversity of NMVOC emissions is responsible for PAN formation globally including isoprene (37 %) and alkanes (14 %). Anthropogenic sources are dominant in the extratropical Northern Hemisphere outside the growing season. Open fires appear to play little role except at high northern latitudes in spring, although results are very sensitive to plume chemistry and plume rise. Lightning NOx is the dominant contributor to the observed PAN maximum in the free troposphere over the South Atlantic.

Atmospheric fate of a series of carbonyl nitrates: photolysis frequencies and OH-oxidation rate constants

Multifunctional organic nitrates are potential NO(x) reservoirs whose atmospheric chemistry is somewhat little known. They could play an important role in the spatial distribution of reactive nitrogen species and consequently in ozone formation and distribution in remote areas. In this work, the rate constants for the reaction with OH radical and the photolysis frequencies of α-nitrooxyacetone, 3-nitrooxy-2-butanone, and 3-methyl-3-nitrooxy-2-butanone have been determined at room temperature at 1000 mbar total pressure of synthetic air. The rate constants for the OH oxidation were measured using the relative rate technique, with methanol as reference compound. The following rate constants were obtained for the reaction with OH: k(OH) = (6.7 ± 2.5) × 10(-13) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for α-nitrooxyacetone, (10.6 ± 4.1) × 10(-13) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for 3-nitrooxy-2-butanone, and (2.6 ± 0.9) × 10(-13) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for 3-methyl-3-nitrooxy-2-butanone. The corresponding photolysis frequencies extrapolated to typical atmospheric conditions for July first at noon at 40° latitude North were (4.8 ± 0.3) × 10(-5) s(-1), (5.7 ± 0.3) × 10(-5) s(-1), and (7.4 ± 0.2) × 10(-5) s(-1), respectively. The data show that photolysis is a major atmospheric sink for these organic nitrates.

An ab Initio Molecular Orbital Study of the Mechanism for the Gas-Phase Water-Mediated Decomposition and the Formation of Hydrates of Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN)

There is uncertainty in the mechanism for the hydrolysis of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), and experimental attempts to detect products of the direct reaction have been unsuccessful. Ab initio calculations are used to examine the energetics of water-mediated decomposition of gas-phase PAN into acetic acid and peroxynitric acid. On the basis of ab initio calculations, an alternative reaction mechanism for the decomposition of PAN is proposed. The calculations indicate that the barrier for one water addition to PAN is large. However, including additional water molecules reveals a substantially lower energy route. The calculations suggest that the formation of PAN hydrate complexes are energetically favorable and stable. Additional waters are increasingly efficient at stabilizing hydrated PAN.

Levels and pattern of volatile organic nitrates and halocarbons in the air at Neumayer Station (70 degrees S), Antarctic

Levels and patterns of C1-C4/C9 organic nitrates were measured for the first time in Antarctica. The sampling was done by adsorptive enrichment on Tenax TA followed by thermodesorption cold-trap high resolution capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection. 2-70 1 air on-column have been analyzed this way. C1-C9 alkyl mononitrates, C2-C4 alkyl dinitrates, C2-C4 hydroxy alkyl nitrates, and halocarbons could be identified in air samples collected near the German Neumayer Research Station, Antarctica, in February 1999. Volatile biogenic and anthropogenic halocarbons were used to assess the origin of the air parcels analyzed. The average concentration measured for sigmaC2-C6 alkyl nitrates was in the range of 9.2 +/- 1.8 ppt(v), while the sum of the mixing ratios of six C2-C4 hydroxy alkyl nitrates was in the range of 1.1 +/- 0.2 ppt(v). Moreover, C2-C4 alkyl dinitrates were found at levels near the detection limit of 0.1-0.5 ppt(v). The concentrations of organic nitrates found in Antarctic air represent ultimate baseline levels due to chemical and physical loss processes during long-range transport in the air. The South Atlantic and the Antarctic Ocean as a general secondary source for organic nitrates in terms of an air/sea exchange equilibrium has to be evaluated yet, but it seems logical. Our results confirm the common assumption that there are no biogenic marine sources of C2-C9 organonitrates. We have found a level of > 80 ppt(v) for methyl nitrate. This level if it can be confirmed in a systematic survey requires a strong biogenic source of methyl nitrate in the Antarctic Ocean.