Highly functionalized organic nitrates in the southeast United States: Contribution to secondary organic aerosol and reactive nitrogen budgets

Ben H. Lee, Claudia Mohr, Felipe D. Lopez-Hilfiker, Anna Lutz, Mattias Hallquist, Lance Lee, Paul Romer, Ronald C. Cohen, Siddharth Iyer, Theo Kurtén, Weiwei Hu, Douglas A. Day, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jose L. Jimenez, Lu Xu, Nga Lee Ng, Hongyu Guo, Rodney J. Weber, Robert J. Wild, Steven S. BrownAbigail Koss, Joost De Gouw, Kevin Olson, Allen H. Goldstein, Roger Seco, Saewung Kim, Kevin McAvey, Paul B. Shepson, Tim Starn, Karsten Baumann, Eric S. Edgerton, Jiumeng Liu, John E. Shilling, David O. Miller, William Brune, Siegfried Schobesberger, Emma L. D'Ambro, Joel A. Thornton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

248 Scopus citations

Abstract

Speciated particle-phase organic nitrates (pONs) were quantified using online chemical ionization MS during June and July of 2013 in rural Alabama as part of the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study. A large fraction of pONs is highly functionalized, possessing between six and eight oxygen atoms within each carbon number group, and is not the common first generation alkyl nitrates previously reported. Using calibrations for isoprene hydroxynitrates and the measured molecular compositions, we estimate that pONs account for 3% and 8% of total submicrometer organic aerosol mass, on average, during the day and night, respectively. Each of the isoprene- and monoterpenes-derived groups exhibited a strong diel trend consistent with the emission patterns of likely biogenic hydrocarbon precursors. An observationally constrained diel box model can replicate the observed pON assuming that pONs (i) are produced in the gas phase and rapidly establish gas- particle equilibrium and (ii) have a short particle-phase lifetime (2-4 h). Such dynamic behavior has significant implications for the production and phase partitioning of pONs, organic aerosol mass, and reactive nitrogen speciation in a forested environment.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1516-1521
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume113
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 9 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

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