Ion–Molecule Rate Constants for Reactions of Sulfuric Acid with Acetate and Nitrate Ions

Atmospheric nucleation from precursor gases is a significant source of cloud condensation nuclei in the troposphere and thus can affect the Earth's radiative balance. Sulfuric acid, ammonia, and amines have been identified as key nucleation precursors in the atmosphere. Studies have also shown that atmospheric ions can react with sulfuric acid to form stable clusters in a process referred to as ion-induced nucleation (IIN). IIN follows similar reaction pathways as chemical ionization, which is used to detect and measure nucleation precursors via atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometers. The rate at which ions form clusters depends on the ion-molecule rate constant. However, the rate constant varies based on the ion composition, which is often not known in the atmosphere. Previous studies have examined ion-molecule rate constants for sulfuric acid and nitrate ions but not for other atmospherically relevant ions like acetate. We report the relative rate constants of ion- molecule reactions between nitrate and acetate ions reacting with sulfuric acid. The ion- molecule rate constant for acetate and sulfuric acid is estimated to be a factor of 1.9-2.4 times higher than that of the known rate constant for nitrate and sulfuric acid. Using quantum chemistry, we find that acetate has a higher dipole moment and polarizability than nitrate. This may contribute to an increase in the collision cross-sectional area between acetate and sulfuric acid and lead to a greater reaction rate constant than nitrate. The ion- molecule rate constant for acetate with sulfuric acid will help quantify the contribution of acetate ions to atmospheric ion-induced new particle formation.Peer reviewe

New particle formation from sulfuric acid and amines : Comparison of monomethylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine

Amines are bases that originate from both anthropogenic and natural sources, and they are recognized as candidates to participate in atmospheric aerosol particle formation together with sulfuric acid. Monomethylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine (MMA, DMA, and TMA, respectively) have been shown to enhance sulfuric acid-driven particle formation more efficiently than ammonia, but both theory and laboratory experiments suggest that there are differences in their enhancing potentials. However, as quantitative concentrations and thermochemical properties of different amines remain relatively uncertain, and also for computational reasons, the compounds have been treated as a single surrogate amine species in large-scale modeling studies. In this work, the differences and similarities of MMA, DMA, and TMA are studied by simulations of molecular cluster formation from sulfuric acid, water, and each of the three amines. Quantum chemistry-based cluster evaporation rate constants are applied in a cluster population dynamics model to yield cluster concentrations and formation rates at boundary layer conditions. While there are differences, for instance, in the clustering mechanisms and cluster hygroscopicity for the three amines, DMA and TMA can be approximated as a lumped species. Formation of nanometer-sized particles and its dependence on ambient conditions is roughly similar for these two: both efficiently form clusters with sulfuric acid, and cluster formation is rather insensitive to changes in temperature and relative humidity. Particle formation from sulfuric acid and MMA is weaker and significantly more sensitive to ambient conditions. Therefore, merging MMA together with DMA and TMA introduces inaccuracies in sulfuric acid-amine particle formation schemes.Peer reviewe

Speciated and total emission factors of particulate organics from burning western US wildland fuels and their dependence on combustion efficiency

Western US wildlands experience frequent and large-scale wildfires which are predicted to increase in the future. As a result, wildfire smoke emissions are expected to play an increasing role in atmospheric chemistry while negatively impacting regional air quality and human health. Understanding the impacts of smoke on the environment is informed by identifying and quantifying the chemical compounds that are emitted during wildfires and by providing empirical relationships that describe how the amount and composition of the emissions change based upon different fire conditions and fuels. This study examined particulate organic compounds emitted from burning common western US wildland fuels at the US Forest Service Fire Science Laboratory. Thousands of intermediate and semi-volatile organic compounds (I/SVOCs) were separated and quantified into fire-integrated emission factors (EFs) using a thermal desorption, two-dimensional gas chromatograph with online derivatization coupled to an electron ionization/vacuum ultraviolet high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TD-GC-GC-EI/VUV-HRToFMS). Mass spectra, EFs as a function of modified combustion efficiency (MCE), fuel source, and other defining characteristics for the separated compounds are provided in the accompanying mass spectral library. Results show that EFs for total organic carbon (OC), chemical families of I/SVOCs, and most individual I/SVOCs span 2-5 orders of magnitude, with higher EFs at smoldering conditions (low MCE) than flaming. Logarithmic fits applied to the observations showed that log (EFs) for particulate organic compounds were inversely proportional to MCE. These measurements and relationships provide useful estimates of EFs for OC, elemental carbon (EC), organic chemical families, and individual I/SVOCs as a function of fire conditions

Toward Reconciling Measurements of Atmospherically Relevant Clusters by Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Mobility Classification/Vapor Condensation

<div><p>Copyright 2015 American Association for Aerosol Research</p></div

Strong Hydrogen Bonded Molecular Interactions between Atmospheric Diamines and Sulfuric Acid

We investigate the molecular interaction between methyl-substituted <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′,<i>N</i>′-ethylenediamines, propane-1,3-diamine, butane-1,4-diamine, and sulfuric acid using computational methods. Molecular structure of the diamines and their dimer clusters with sulfuric acid is studied using three density functional theory methods (PW91, M06-2X, and ωB97X-D) with the 6-31++G­(d,p) basis set. A high level explicitly correlated CCSD­(T)-F12a/VDZ-F12 method is used to obtain accurate binding energies. The reaction Gibbs free energies are evaluated and compared with values for reactions involving ammonia and atmospherically relevant monoamines (methylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine). We find that the complex formation between sulfuric acid and the studied diamines provides similar or more favorable reaction free energies than dimethylamine. Diamines that contain one or more secondary amino groups are found to stabilize sulfuric acid complexes more efficiently. Elongating the carbon backbone from ethylenediamine to propane-1,3-diamine or butane-1,4-diamine further stabilizes the complex formation with sulfuric acid by up to 4.3 kcal/mol. Dimethyl-substituted butane-1,4-diamine yields a staggering formation free energy of −19.1 kcal/mol for the clustering with sulfuric acid, indicating that such diamines could potentially be a key species in the initial step in the formation of new particles. For studying larger clusters consisting of a diamine molecule with up to four sulfuric acid molecules, we benchmark and utilize a domain local pair natural orbital coupled cluster (DLPNO-CCSD­(T)) method. We find that a single diamine is capable of efficiently stabilizing sulfuric acid clusters with up to four acid molecules, whereas monoamines such as dimethylamine are capable of stabilizing at most 2–3 sulfuric acid molecules

Strong Hydrogen Bonded Molecular Interactions between Atmospheric Diamines and Sulfuric Acid

We investigate the molecular interaction between methyl-substituted <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′,<i>N</i>′-ethylenediamines, propane-1,3-diamine, butane-1,4-diamine, and sulfuric acid using computational methods. Molecular structure of the diamines and their dimer clusters with sulfuric acid is studied using three density functional theory methods (PW91, M06-2X, and ωB97X-D) with the 6-31++G­(d,p) basis set. A high level explicitly correlated CCSD­(T)-F12a/VDZ-F12 method is used to obtain accurate binding energies. The reaction Gibbs free energies are evaluated and compared with values for reactions involving ammonia and atmospherically relevant monoamines (methylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine). We find that the complex formation between sulfuric acid and the studied diamines provides similar or more favorable reaction free energies than dimethylamine. Diamines that contain one or more secondary amino groups are found to stabilize sulfuric acid complexes more efficiently. Elongating the carbon backbone from ethylenediamine to propane-1,3-diamine or butane-1,4-diamine further stabilizes the complex formation with sulfuric acid by up to 4.3 kcal/mol. Dimethyl-substituted butane-1,4-diamine yields a staggering formation free energy of −19.1 kcal/mol for the clustering with sulfuric acid, indicating that such diamines could potentially be a key species in the initial step in the formation of new particles. For studying larger clusters consisting of a diamine molecule with up to four sulfuric acid molecules, we benchmark and utilize a domain local pair natural orbital coupled cluster (DLPNO-CCSD­(T)) method. We find that a single diamine is capable of efficiently stabilizing sulfuric acid clusters with up to four acid molecules, whereas monoamines such as dimethylamine are capable of stabilizing at most 2–3 sulfuric acid molecules