Interfacial photochemistry of biogenic surfactants: a major source of abiotic volatile organic compounds
Films of biogenic compounds exposed to the atmosphere are ubiquitously found on the surfaces of cloud droplets, aerosol particles, buildings, plants, soils and the ocean. These air/water interfaces host countless amphiphilic compounds concentrated there with respect to in bulk water, leading to a unique chemical environment. Here, photochemical processes at the air/water interface of biofilm-containing solutions were studied, demonstrating abiotic VOC production from authentic biogenic surfactants under ambient conditions. Using a combination of online-APCI-HRMS and PTR-ToF-MS, unsaturated and functionalized VOCs were identified and quantified, giving emission fluxes comparable to previous …
General overview: European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality interactions (EUCAARI)-integrating aerosol research from nano to global scales
In this paper we describe and summarize the main achievements of the European Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions project (EUCAARI). EUCAARI started on 1 January 2007 and ended on 31 December 2010 leaving a rich legacy including: (a) a comprehensive database with a year of observations of the physical, chemical and optical properties of aerosol particles over Europe, (b) comprehensive aerosol measurements in four developing countries, (c) a database of airborne measurements of aerosols and clouds over Europe during May 2008, (d) comprehensive modeling tools to study aerosol processes fron nano to global scale and their effects on climate and air quality. In addition a new Pan…
High Pressure Inside Nanometer-Sized Particles Influences the Rate and Products of Chemical Reactions
International audience; The composition of organic aerosol has a pivotal influence on aerosol properties such as toxicity and cloud droplet formation capability, which could affect both climate and air quality. However, a comprehensive and fundamental understanding of the chemical and physical processes that occur in nanometer-sized atmospheric particles remains a challenge that severely limits the quantification and predictive capabilities of aerosol formation pathways. Here, we investigated the effects of a fundamental and hitherto unconsidered physical property of nanoparticles-the Laplace pressure. By studying the reaction of glyoxal with ammonium sulfate, both ubiquitous and important …
The formation, properties and impact of secondary organic aerosol: Current and emerging issues
Hallquist, M. Wenger, J. C. Baltensperger, U. Rudich, Y. Simpson, D. Claeys, M. Dommen, J. Donahue, N. M. George, C. Goldstein, A. H. Hamilton, J. F. Herrmann, H. Hoffmann, T. Iinuma, Y. Jang, M. Jenkin, M. E. Jimenez, J. L. Kiendler-Scharr, A. Maenhaut, W. McFiggans, G. Mentel, Th. F. Monod, A. Prevot, A. S. H. Seinfeld, J. H. Surratt, J. D. Szmigielski, R. Wildt, J.; Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) accounts for a significant fraction of ambient tropospheric aerosol and a detailed knowledge of the formation, properties and transformation of SOA is therefore required to evaluate its impact on atmospheric processes, climate and human health. The chemical and physical processes associated wit…