0000000000172567
AUTHOR
Yun Zhang
Urban organic aerosol composition in Eastern China differs from North to South: Molecular insight from a liquid chromatography-Orbitrap mass spectrometry study
Particulate air pollution in China is influencing human health, ecosystem and climate. However, the chemical composition of particulate aerosol, especially of the organic fraction, is still not well understood. In this study, particulate aerosol samples with a diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) were collected in January 2014 in three cities located in Northeast, East and Southeast China, i.e., Changchun, Shanghai and Guangzhou, respectively. Organic aerosol (OA) in the PM2.5 samples was analyzed by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry in both negative mode (ESI−) and positive mode electrospray ioni…
Radical Formation by Fine Particulate Matter Associated with Highly Oxygenated Molecules
Highly oxygenated molecules (HOMs) play an important role in the formation and evolution of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). However, the abundance of HOMs in different environments and their relation to the oxidative potential of fine particulate matter (PM) are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the relative HOM abundance and radical yield of laboratory-generated SOA and fine PM in ambient air ranging from remote forest areas to highly polluted megacities. By electron paramagnetic resonance and mass spectrometric investigations, we found that the relative abundance of HOMs, especially the dimeric and low-volatility types, in ambient fine PM was positively correlated with the formatio…
Molecular Characterization and Source Identification of Atmospheric Particulate Organosulfates Using Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectrometry.
Organosulfates (OSs) have been observed as substantial constituents of atmospheric organic aerosol (OA) in a wide range of environments; however, the chemical composition, sources, and formation mechanism of OSs are still not well understood. In this study, we first created an "OS precursor map" based on the elemental composition of previous OS chamber experiments. Then, according to this "OS precursor map", we estimated the possible sources and molecular structures of OSs in atmospheric PM2.5 (particles with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) samples, which were collected in urban areas of Beijing (China) and Mainz (Germany) and analyzed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) c…
UHPLC-Orbitrap mass spectrometric characterization of organic aerosol from a central European city (Mainz, Germany) and a Chinese megacity (Beijing)
Abstract Fine urban aerosol particles with aerodynamic equivalent dimeter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) were collected in Mainz (a city within the Rhine-Main area, the third largest metropolitan region in Germany) and Beijing (Chinese megacity). A solvent mixture of acetonitrile-water was used to extract the organic aerosol fraction (OA) from the particle samples. The extracts were analyzed by an ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometer (UHRMS) Orbitrap coupled with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) both in the negative and positive ion mode. The number of compounds observed in Beijing is a factor of 2–10 higher compared to Mainz. The clear differences on chemical composition of OA in th…
Dynamics and risk assessment of pesticides in cucumber through field experiments and model simulation
Abstract Pesticides are often applied multiple times during cucumber cultivation in China. In order to obtain the residue concentrations and subsequently human health risk assessment after pesticide multiple applications, plenty of field trials have been conducted, consuming a lot of labor force and funds. The application of kinetic models can address this problem to some extent by predicting the residue values of pesticides in cucumber. In this study, a dynamic model (dynamiCROP) was applied in combination with field experiments to investigate the distribution, translocation, and dissipation after the one-time application of seven pesticides in a cucumber-soil environment. Moreover, the re…
The maximum carbonyl ratio (MCR) as a new index for the structural classification of secondary organic aerosol components
RATIONALE Organic aerosols (OA) account for a large fraction of atmospheric fine particulate matter and thus are affecting climate and public health. Elucidation of the chemical composition of OA is the key for addressing the role of ambient fine particles at the atmosphere-biosphere interface and mass spectrometry is the main method to achieve this goal. METHODS High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is on its way to becoming one of the most prominent analytical techniques, also for the analysis of atmospheric aerosols. The combination of high mass resolution and accurate mass determination allows the elemental compositions of numerous compounds to be easily elucidated. Here a new parame…
Reactive species formed upon interaction of water with fine particulate matter from remote forest and polluted urban air
Interaction of water with fine particulate matter leads to the formation of reactive species (RS) that may influence the aging, properties, and health effects of atmospheric aerosols. In this study, we explore the RS yields of fine PM from remote forest (Hyytiälä, Finland) and polluted urban air (Mainz, Germany and Beijing, China) and relate these yields to different chemical constituents and reaction mechanisms. Ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry was used to characterize organic aerosol composition, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy with a spin-trapping technique was used to determine the concentrations •OH, O2•−, and carbon- or oxygen-centered organic radicals, …