Solubility and Activity Coefficients of Atmospheric Surfactants in Aqueous Solution Evaluated Using COSMOtherm

Fatty acids (CH3(CH2)(n-2)COOH) and their salts are an important class of atmospheric surfactants. Here, we use COSMOtherm to predict solubility and activity coefficients for C-2-C-12 fatty acids with even number of carbon atoms and their sodium salts in binary water solutions and also in ternary water-inorganic salt solutions. COSMOtherm is a continuum solvent model implementation which can calculate properties of complex systems using quantum chemistry and thermodynamics. Calculated solubility values of the organic acids in pure water are in good agreement with reported experimental values. The comparison of the COSMOtherm-derived Setschenow constants for ternary solutions comprising NaCl with the corresponding experimental values from the literature shows that COSMOtherm overpredicts the salting out effect in all cases except for the solutions of acetic acid. The calculated activity and mean activity coefficients of fatty acids and fatty acid sodium salts, respectively, show deviation of the systems from ideal solution. The computed mean activity coefficients of the fatty acid salts in binary systems are in better agreement with experimentally derived values for the organic salts with longer aliphatic chain (C-8-C-10). The deviation of the solutions from ideality could lead to biased estimations of cloud condensation nuclei number concentrations if not considered in Kohler calculations and cloud microphysics.Peer reviewe

Technical note : Estimating aqueous solubilities and activity coefficients of mono- and alpha,omega-dicarboxylic acids using COSMOtherm

We have used the COSMOtherm program to estimate activity coefficients and solubilities of mono- and alpha, omega-dicarboxylic acids and water in binary acid-water systems. The deviation from ideality was found to be larger in the systems containing larger acids than in the systems containing smaller acids. COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS) underestimates experimental monocarboxylic acid activity coefficients by less than a factor of 2, but experimental water activity coefficients are underestimated more especially at high acid mole fractions. We found a better agreement between COSMOtherm-estimated and experimental activity coefficients of monocarboxylic acids when the water clustering with a carboxylic acid and itself was taken into account using the dimerization, aggregation, and reaction extension (COSMO-RS-DARE) of COSMOtherm. COSMO-RS-DARE is not fully predictive, but fit parameters found here for water-water and acid-water clustering interactions can be used to estimate thermodynamic properties of monocarboxylic acids in other aqueous solvents, such as salt solutions. For the dicarboxylic acids, COSMO-RS is sufficient for predicting aqueous solubility and activity coefficients, and no fitting to experimental values is needed. This is highly beneficial for applications to atmospheric systems, as these data are typically not available for a wide range of mixing states realized in the atmosphere, due to a lack of either feasibility of the experiments or sample availability. Based on effective equilibrium constants of different clustering reactions in the binary solutions, acid dimer formation is more dominant in systems containing larger dicarboxylic acids (C-5-C-8), while for monocarboxylic acids (C-1-C-6) and smaller dicarboxylic acids (C-2-C-4), hydrate formation is more favorable, especially in dilute solutions.Peer reviewe

Gas-to-Particle Partitioning of Cyclohexene- and alpha-Pinene-Derived Highly Oxygenated Dimers Evaluated Using COSMOtherm

Oxidized organic compounds are expected to contribute to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) if they have sufficiently low volatilities. We estimated saturation vapor pressures and activity coefficients (at infinite dilution in water and a model water-insoluble organic phase) of cyclohexene- and alpha-pinene-derived accretion products, "dimers", using the COSMOtherm19 program. We found that these two property estimates correlate with the number of hydrogen bond-donating functional groups and oxygen atoms in the compound. In contrast, when the number of H-bond donors is fixed, no clear differences are seen either between functional group types (e.g., OH or OOH as H-bond donors) or the formation mechanisms (e.g., gas-phase radical recombination vs liquid-phase closed-shell esterification). For the cyclohexene-derived dimers studied here, COSMOtherm19 predicts lower vapor pressures than the SIMPOL.1 group-contribution method in contrast to previous COSMOtherm estimates using older parameterizations and nonsystematic conformer sampling. The studied dimers can be classified as low, extremely low, or ultra-low-volatility organic compounds based on their estimated saturation mass concentrations. In the presence of aqueous and organic aerosol particles, all of the studied dimers are likely to partition into the particle phase and thereby contribute to SOA formation.Peer reviewe

Development and Application of a Functional Human Esophageal Mucosa Explant Platform to Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

There is an increasing prevalence of esophageal diseases but intact human tissue platforms to study esophageal function, disease mechanisms, and the interactions between cell types in situ are lacking. To address this, we utilized full thickness human donor esophagi to create and validate the ex vivo function of mucosa and smooth muscle (n = 25). Explanted tissue was tested for contractile responses to carbachol and histamine. We then treated ex vivo human esophageal mucosa with a cytokine cocktail to closely mimic the Th2 and inflammatory milieu of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and assessed alterations in smooth muscle and extracellular matrix function and stiffening. We found that full thickness human esophagus as well as the individual layers of circular and longitudinal muscularis propria developed tension in response to carbachol ex vivo and that mucosa demonstrated squamous cell differentiation. Treatment of mucosa with Th2 and fibrotic cytokines recapitulated the majority of the clinical Eosinophilic Esophagitis Diagnostic Profile (EDP) on fluidic transcriptional microarray. Transforming growth factor-beta-1 (TGFβ1) increased gene expression of fibronectin, smooth muscle actin, and phospholamban (p < 0.001). The EoE cocktail also increased stiffness and decreased mucosal compliance, akin to the functional alterations in EoE (p = 0.001). This work establishes a new, transcriptionally intact and physiologically functional human platform to model esophageal tissue responses in EoE

Formation of Highly Oxidized Molecules from NO3 Radical Initiated Oxidation of Delta-3-Carene : A Mechanistic Study

NO3 radical oxidation of most monoterpenes is a significant source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in many regions influenced by both biogenic and anthropogenic emissions, but there are very few published mechanistic studies of NO3 chemistry beyond simple first generation products. Here, we present a computationally derived mechanism detailing the unimolecular pathways available to the second generation of peroxy radicals following NO3 oxidation of Delta-3-carene, defining generations based on the sequence of peroxy radicals formed rather than number of oxidant attacks. We assess five different types of unimolecular reactions, including peroxy and alkoxy radical (RO2 and RO) hydrogen shifts, RO2 and RO ring closing (e.g., endoperoxide formation), and RO decomposition. Rate constants calculated using quantum chemical methods indicate that this chemical system has significant contribution from both bimolecular and unimolecular pathways. The dominant unimolecular reactions are endoperoxide formation, RO H-shifts, and RO decomposition. However, the complexity of the overall reaction is tempered as only 1 or 2 radical propagation pathways dominate the fate of each radical intermediate. Chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) measurements using the NO3- reagent ion during Delta-3-carene + NO3 chamber experiments show products consistent with each of the three types of unimolecular reactions predicted to be important from the computational mechanism. Moreover, the SIMPOL group contribution method for predicting vapor pressures suggests that a majority of the closed-shell products inferred from these unimolecular reactions are likely to have low enough vapor pressure to be able to contribute to SOA formation.Peer reviewe

Large methane releases lead to strong aerosol forcing and reduced cloudiness

The release of vast quantities of methane into the atmosphere as a result of clathrate destabilization is a potential mechanism for rapid amplification of global warming. Previous studies have calculated the enhanced warming based mainly on the radiative effect of the methane itself, with smaller contributions from the associated carbon dioxide or ozone increases. Here, we study the effect of strongly elevated methane (CH4) levels on oxidant and aerosol particle concentrations using a combination of chemistry-transport and general circulation models. A 10-fold increase in methane concentrations is predicted to significantly decrease hydroxyl radical (OH) concentrations, while moderately increasing ozone (O3). These changes lead to a 70 % increase in the atmospheric lifetime of methane, and an 18 % decrease in global mean cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNC). The CDNC change causes a radiative forcing that is comparable in magnitude to the longwave radiative forcing ("enhanced greenhouse effect") of the added methane. Together, the indirect CH4-O3 and CH4-OH-aerosol forcings could more than double the warming effect of large methane increases. Our findings may help explain the anomalously large temperature changes associated with historic methane releases

Can COSMOTherm Predict a Salting in Effect?

We have used COSMO-RS, a method combining quantum chemistry with statistical thermodynamics, to compute Setschenow constants (K-S) for a large array of organic solutes and salts. These comprise both atmospherically relevant solute-salt combinations, as well as systems for which experimental data are available. In agreement with previous studies on single salts, the Setschenow constants predicted by COSMO-RS (as implemented in the COSMOTherm program) are generally too large compared to experiments. COSMOTherm overpredicts salting out (positive K-S), and/or underpredicts salting in (negative K-S). For ammonium and sodium salts, K-S values are larger for oxalates and sulfates, and smaller for chlorides and bromides. For chloride and bromide salts, K-S values usually increase with decreasing size of the cation, along the series Pr4N+ <Et4N+ <Me4N+Peer reviewe

Pathways to Highly Oxidized Products in the Delta 3-Carene + OH System

Oxidation of the monoterpene Delta 3-carene (C10H16) is a potentially important and understudied source of atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA). We present chamber-based measurements of speciated gas and particle phases during photochemical oxidation of Delta 3-carene. We find evidence of highly oxidized organic molecules (HOMs) in the gas phase and relatively low-volatility SOA dominated by C-7-C-10 species. We then use computational methods to develop the first stages of a Delta 3-carene photochemical oxidation mechanism and explain some of our measured compositions. We find that alkoxy bond scission of the cyclohexyl ring likely leads to efficient HOM formation, in line with previous studies. We also find a surprising role for the abstraction of primary hydrogens from methyl groups, which has been calculated to be rapid in the alpha-pinene system, and suggest more research is required to determine if this is more general to other systems and a feature of autoxidation. This work develops a more comprehensive view of Delta 3-carene photochemical oxidation products via measurements and lays out a suggested mechanism of oxidation via computationally derived rate coefficients.Peer reviewe

Constraining the sensitivity of iodide adduct chemical ionization mass spectrometry to multifunctional organic molecules using the collision limit and thermodynamic stability of iodide ion adducts

The sensitivity of a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (ions formed per number density of analytes) is fundamentally limited by the collision frequency between reagent ions and analytes, known as the collision limit, the ion-molecule reaction time, and the transmission efficiency of product ions to the detector. We use the response of a time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (ToF-CIMS) to N2O5, known to react with iodide at the collision limit, to constrain the combined effects of ion-molecule reaction time, which is strongly influenced by mixing and ion losses in the ion-molecule reaction drift tube. A mass spectrometric voltage scanning procedure elucidates the relative binding energies of the ion adducts, which influence the transmission efficiency of molecular ions through the electric fields within the vacuum chamber. Together, this information provides a critical constraint on the sensitivity of a ToF-CIMS towards a wide suite of routinely detected multifunctional organic molecules for which no calibration standards exist. We describe the scanning procedure and collision limit determination, and we show results from the application of these constraints to the measurement of organic aerosol composition at two different field locations.Peer reviewe

Comparison of Skeletal Effects of Ovariectomy Versus Chemically Induced Ovarian Failure in Mice

Bone loss associated with menopause leads to an increase in skeletal fragility and fracture risk. Relevant animal models can be useful for evaluating the impact of ovarian failure on bone loss. A chemically induced model of menopause in which mice gradually undergo ovarian failure yet retain residual ovarian tissue has been developed using the chemical 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD). This study was designed to compare skeletal effects of VCD-induced ovarian failure to those associated with ovariectomy (OVX). Young (28 day) C57Bl/6Hsd female mice were dosed daily with vehicle or VCD (160 mg/kg/d, IP) for 15 days (n = 6–7/group) and monitored by vaginal cytology for ovarian failure. At the mean age of VCD-induced ovarian failure (∼6 wk after onset of dosing), a different group of mice was ovariectomized (OVX, n = 8). Spine BMD (SpBMD) was measured by DXA for 3 mo after ovarian failure and OVX. Mice were killed ∼5 mo after ovarian failure or OVX, and bone architecture was evaluated by μCT ex vivo. In OVX mice, SpBMD was lower than controls 1 mo after OVX, whereas in VCD-treated mice, SpBMD was not lower than controls until 2.9 mo after ovarian failure (p < 0.05). Both VCD-induced ovarian failure and OVX led to pronounced deterioration of trabecular bone architecture, with slightly greater effects in OVX mice. At the femoral diaphysis, cortical bone area and thickness did not differ between VCD mice and controls but were decreased in OVX compared with both groups (p < 0.05). Circulating androstenedione levels were preserved in VCD-treated mice but reduced in OVX mice relative to controls (p < 0.001). These findings support that (1) VCD-induced ovarian failure leads to trabecular bone deterioration, (2) bone loss is attenuated by residual ovarian tissue, particularly in diaphyseal cortical bone, and (3) the VCD mouse model can be a relevant model for natural menopause in the study of associated bone disorders