Chemical Sinks of Organic Aerosol: Kinetics and Products of the Heterogeneous Oxidation of Erythritol and Levoglucosan

The heterogeneous oxidation of pure erythritol (C4H10O4) and levoglucosan (C6H10O5) particles was studied in order to evaluate the effects of atmospheric aging on the mass and chemical composition of atmospheric organic aerosol. In contrast to what is generally observed for the heterogeneous oxidati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2010-09, Vol.44 (18), p.7005-7010
Main Authors: Kessler, Sean H, Smith, Jared D, Che, Dung L, Worsnop, Douglas R, Wilson, Kevin R, Kroll, Jesse H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosols
Aerosols - chemistry
Airborne particulates
Applied sciences
Atmosphere
Atmospheric aerosols
Environmental Processes
Erythritol - chemistry
Exact sciences and technology
Glucose - analogs & derivatives
Glucose - chemistry
Kinetics
Oxidants - chemistry
Oxidation
Oxidation-Reduction
Pollution
Reaction kinetics
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Summary:The heterogeneous oxidation of pure erythritol (C4H10O4) and levoglucosan (C6H10O5) particles was studied in order to evaluate the effects of atmospheric aging on the mass and chemical composition of atmospheric organic aerosol. In contrast to what is generally observed for the heterogeneous oxidation of reduced organics, substantial volatilization is observed in both systems. However, the ratio of the decrease in particle mass to the decrease in the concentration of the parent species is about three times higher for erythritol than for levoglucosan, indicating that details of chemical structure (such as carbon number, cyclic moieties, and oxygen-containing functional groups) play a governing role in the importance of volatilization reactions. The kinetics of the reaction indicate that while both compounds react at approximately the same rate, reactions of their oxidation products appear to be slowed substantially. Estimates of volatilities of organic species based on elemental composition measurements suggest that the heterogeneous oxidation of oxygenated organics may be an important loss mechanism of organic aerosol.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es101465m