Chemical transformations in monoterpene-derived organic aerosol enhanced by inorganic composition

Matthieu Riva, Liine Heikkinen, David M. Bell, Otso Peräkylä, Qiaozhi Zha, Matti Rissanen, D. Imre, Tuukka Petäjä, Joel Thornton, Alla Zelenyuk, Mikael Ehn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is known to impact both climate and air quality, yet molecular-level composition measurements remain challenging, hampering our understanding of SOA formation and evolution. Here, we reveal the importance of underestimated reaction pathways for the (trans) formation of SOA from monoterpenes, one of the largest SOA precursors globally. Utilizing mass spectrometric techniques to achieve a comprehensive characterization of molecular-level changes in the SOA, we were able to link the appearance of high-molecular weight (HMW) organic molecules to the concentration and level of neutralization of particulate sulfate. Interestingly, this oligomerization coincided with a decrease of highly oxygenated molecules (HOMs). Our findings highlight the role of particle-phase processing, and the underestimated importance of sulfate aerosol for monoterpene-SOA formation. The observations of these processes directly in the atmosphere reveal the need to account for the formation of HMW oligomers to fully understand the physicochemical properties of organic aerosol.
Original languageEnglish
Journalnpj climate and atmospheric science
Volume2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes
Publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • 114 Physical sciences
  • GAS
  • ACIDITY
  • ANTHROPOGENIC EMISSIONS
  • EVAPORATION KINETICS
  • ISOPRENE
  • MULTIPHASE CHEMISTRY
  • OLIGOMER FORMATION
  • PHASE
  • REACTIVE UPTAKE
  • VOLATILITY

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