High-Resolution Fluorescence Spectra of Airborne Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosols: Comparisons to Primary Biological Aerosol Particles and Implications for Single-Particle Measurements.

Aqueous extracts of biogenic secondary organic aerosols (BSOAs) have been found to exhibit fluorescence that may interfere with the laser/light-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs). In this study, we quantified the interference of BSOAs to PBAPs by directly measuring airborne BSOA particles, rather than aqueous extracts. BSOAs were generated by the reaction of d-limonene (LIM) or α-pinene (PIN) and ozone (O3) with or without ammonia in a chamber under controlled conditions. With an excitation wavelength of 355 nm, BSOAs exhibited peak emissions at 464–475 nm, while fungal spores exhibited peak emissions at 460–483 nm; the fluorescence intensit…