Investigation on the hygroscopicity of oxalic acid and atmospherically relevant oxalate salts under sub- and supersaturated conditions

A fast and efficient method for the analysis of α-dicarbonyl compounds in aqueous solutions: Development and application

Among the highly oxygenated species formed in situ in the atmosphere, α-dicarbonyl compounds are the most reactive species, thus contributing to the formation of secondary organic aerosols that affect both air quality and climate. They are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and are easily transferred to the atmospheric aqueous phase due to their high solubility. In addition, α-dicarbonyl compounds are toxic compounds found in food in biochemistry studies as they can be produced endogenously through various pathways and exogenously through the Maillard reaction. In this work, we take advantage of the high reactivity of α-dicarbonyl compounds in alkaline solutions (intramolecular Cannizzaro reaction) to develop an analytical method based on high performance ion chromatography. This fast and efficient method is suitable for glyoxal, methylglyoxal and phenylglyoxal which are detected as glycolate, lactate and mandelate anions respectively, with 100% conversion at pH > 12 and room temperature for exposure times to hydroxide ranging from 5 min to 4 h. Diacetyl is detected as 2,4-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethyl-5-oxohexanoate due to a base-catalysed aldol reaction that occurs before the Cannizzaro reaction. The analytical method is successfully applied to monitor glyoxal consumption during aqueous phase HO∙-oxidation, an atmospherically relevant reaction using concentrations that can be observed in fog and cloud water. The method also reveals potential analytical artifacts that can occur in the use of ion chromatography for α-hydroxy carboxylates measurements in complex matrices due to α-dicarbonyl conversion during the analysis time. An estimation of the artifact is given for each of the studied α-hydroxy carboxylates. Other polyfunctional and pH-sensitive compounds that are potentially present in environmental samples (such as nitrooxycarbonyls) can also be converted into α-hydroxy carboxylates and/or nitrite ions within the HPIC run. This shows the need for complementary analytical measurements when complex matrices are studied.

Geochemical studies of low molecular weight organic acids in the atmosphere: sources, formation pathways, and gas/particle partitioning

Low molecular weight monocarboxylic acids (LMW monoacids, C₁-C₁₀) are the most abundant gaseous organic compound class in the atmosphere. Formic or acetic acid is the dominant volatile organic compound (VOC) in Earth's atmosphere. They can largely contribute to rainwater acidity, especially in the tropical forest, and react with alkaline metals, ammonia, and amines, contributing to new particle formation and secondary organic aerosol production. Gaseous and particulate LMW monoacids were abundantly reported in China. They can be directly emitted from fossil fuel combustion and biomass burring; however, the secondary formation is more important than primary emissions via the photochemical oxidation of anthropogenic and biogenic VOCs. In this paper, we review the distributions of LMW monoacids from urban, mountain, and marine sites as well as from rainwater and alpine snow samples and discuss their sources and formation mechanisms in the atmosphere. We also discuss their importance as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and provide future perspectives of LMW monoacids study in the warming world.

Low molecular weight dicarboxylic acids, oxocarboxylic acids and α-dicarbonyls as ozonolysis products of isoprene: Implication for the gaseous-phase formation of secondary organic aerosols

Oxidation of isoprene, a major biogenic volatile organic compound emitted from forest canopies, is a potential source of oxalic acid; the dominant species in organic aerosols. We evaluated here ozonolysis of isoprene in dry darkness as a source of oxalic (C₂), malonic (C₃) and succinic (C₄) acids. We found that oxalic acid and methylglyoxal are dominant products within 10 min of reaction followed by glyoxylic, malonic or succinic acids. Interestingly, molecular distributions of oxidation products from early reactions (9-29 min) were characterized by the predominance of methylglyoxal followed by C₂, which became dominant after 30 min. The isoprene-derived secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) showed chemical evolution with reaction time towards the molecular characteristics of dicarboxylic acids similar to those of ambient aerosols (C₂>C₃≥C₄). The carbon-based relative abundances of methylglyoxal decreased steadily (40%→30%), while those of C₂ increased with reaction time (15%→25%), but no such variations persisted for glyoxal (6-10%). This finding means that methylglyoxal is more important intermediate of oxalic acid than glyoxal. In contrast, smaller variability and lower concentrations of pyruvic and glyoxylic acids than other intermediates indicate that oxalic acid formation under dry conditions follows a different pathway than in aqueous-phase heterogeneous chemistry usually invoked for cloud/fog/atmospheric waters. Here, we propose new reaction schemes for high levels of methylglyoxal and oxalic acid via gas-phase chemical reactions with ozone and OH radicals to better interpret the ambient SOA composition. Furthermore, the relative abundances of C₂ exhibit small variability from 1 to 8 h, suggesting its stable character towards the oxidation by hydroxyl radicals.

New index of organic mass enrichment in sea spray aerosols linked with senescent status in marine phytoplankton

Linking the amount of organic matter (OM) in sea spray aerosols (SSAs) to biological processes in ocean surface is essential for understanding marine aerosol formation and their potential to affect cloud formation. To date, chlorophyll (Chl) a concentration has been widely used as a surrogate for surface phytoplankton biomass or productivity to predict the relative abundance of OM in SSAs (OM_SSA). Here we show a new index to present OM_SSA using concentrations of Chl a and chlorophyllide (Chllide) a, which is a breakdown product of Chl a and has been used as a biomarker of senescent algal cells. The index was compared with submicrometer OM_SSA, based on surface seawater and aerosol samples obtained during the pre-bloom in the western subarctic Pacific. Our results showed that the OM_SSA was highly correlated with this unique index, suggesting that the OM_SSA was closely linked with senescent algal cells and/or cell lysis. Furthermore, the hygroscopicity parameters κ derived from water-extracted SSA samples implied a reduction in the SSA hygroscopicity with increasing senescent status of phytoplankton. The index can represent OM_SSA on a timescale of a day during the pre-bloom period, which should be further examined over different oceanic regions.

Characteristics of water-soluble organic acids in PM2.5 during haze and Chinese Spring Festival in winter of Jinan, China: concentrations, formations, and source apportionments

PM_2.5 aerosols from Jinan (36°256'N, 117°106'E) in the North China Plain region were investigated for water-soluble organic acids (WSOAs, i.e., oxalic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, methanesulfonic acid (MSA), and lactic acid) during 30 December 2016 to 21 February 2017. The average PM_2.5 concentration was 168.77 μg/m³ with about 90.74% samples beyond the National Ambient Air Quality (NAAQ) standards (Grade II). The total concentration of the measured WSOAs averaged at 1.34 μg/m³, contributing to 0.80% of PM_2.5 mass. In the observation, acetic acid was the most abundant WSOA, followed by oxalic acid, lactic acid, formic acid, and MSA. During the period, serious haze events frequently happened. The average concentrations of PM_2.5 and every WSOA species were higher in haze than those in non-haze. The correlations among species suggested that WSOAs in haze had complicated sources and secondary pathways, especially aqueous-phase reactions which played an important role on WSOAs. The concentrations of WSOAs declined in the Spring Festival compared with those in the non-Spring Festival due to holiday effect. Fireworks burning during the Spring Festival had different influences on WSOAs with slight increases for acetic acid and lactic acid. Five source factors were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF) model for five WSOAs, respectively, and the results revealed that secondary reactions were the main sources of WSOAs in haze.