A new source of methyl glyoxal in the aqueous phase

Carbonyl compounds are ubiquitous in atmospheric multiphase system participating in gas, particle, and aqueous-phase chemistry. One important compound is methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), as it is detected in significant amounts in the gas phase as well as in cloud water, ice, and rain. Consequently, it can be expected that MEK influences the liquid-phase chemistry. Therefore, the oxidation of MEK and the formation of corresponding oxidation products were investigated in the aqueous phase. Several oxidation products were identified from the oxidation with OH radicals, including 2,3-butanedione, hydroxyacetone, and methylglyoxal. The molar yields were 29.5 % for 2,3-butanedione, 3.0 % for hydroxyacetone, and 9.5 % for methylglyoxal. Since methylglyoxal is often related to the formation of organics in the aqueous phase, MEK should be considered for the formation of aqueous secondary organic aerosol (aqSOA). Based on the experimentally obtained data, a reaction mechanism for the formation of methylglyoxal has been developed and evaluated with a model study. Besides known rate constants, the model contains measured photolysis rate constants for MEK (kp  =  5  ×  10−5 s−1), 2,3-butanedione (kp  =  9  ×  10−6 s−1), methylglyoxal (kp  =  3  ×  10−5 s−1), and hydroxyacetone (kp  =  2  ×  10−5 s−1). From the model predictions, a branching ratio of 60 /40 for primary/secondary H-atom abstraction at the MEK skeleton was found. This branching ratio reproduces the experiment results very well, especially the methylglyoxal formation, which showed excellent agreement. Overall, this study demonstrates MEK as a methylglyoxal precursor compound for the first time

Characterizing chemical transformation of organophosphorus compounds by 13C and 2H stable isotope analysis

Continuous and excessive use of organophosphorus compounds (OPs) has led to environmental contaminations which raise public concerns. This study investigates the isotope fractionation patterns of OPs in the aquatic environment dependence upon hydrolysis, photolysis and radical oxidation processes. The hydrolysis of parathion (EP) and methyl parathion (MP) resulted in significant carbon fractionation at lower pH (pH 2–7, εC = − 6.9 ~ − 6.0‰ for EP, − 10.5 ~ − 9.9‰ for MP) but no detectable carbon fractionation at higher pH (pH 12). Hydrogen fractionation was not observed during any of the hydrolysis experiments. These results indicate that compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) allows distinction of two different pH-dependent pathways of hydrolysis. Carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation were determined during UV/H2O2 photolysis of EP and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP). The constant δ2H values determined during the OH radical reaction of EP suggested that the rate-limiting step proceeded through oxidative attack by OH radical on the P[dbnd]S bond. The significant H isotope enrichment suggested that OH radical oxidation of TCEP was caused by an H-abstraction during the UV/H2O2 processes (εH = − 56 ± 3‰). Fenton reaction was conducted to validate the H isotope enrichment of TCEP associated with radical oxidation, which yielded εH of − 34 ± 5‰. Transformation products of OPs during photodegradation were identified using Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). This study highlights that the carbon and hydrogen fractionation patterns have the potential to elucidate the transformation of OPs in the environment. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.201306460007, CSC, China Scholarship Council; 201404910520, CSC, China Scholarship Council; IGA/FT/2017/008, UTB, Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve ZlíněChina Scholarship Council [201306460007, 201404910520]; Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FT/2017/008]; European Regional Development Funds (EFRE - Europe funds Saxony); Helmholtz Association; graduate school of the UFZ (HIGRADE

Investigation of Humic Substance Photosensitized Reactions via Carbon and Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation

SSCI-VIDE+CARE+CGOInternational audienceHumic substances (HS) acting as photosensitizers can generate a variety of reactive species, such as OH radicals and excited triplet states ((HS)-H-3*), promoting the degradation of organic compounds. Here, we apply compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) to characterize photosensitized mechanisms employing fuel oxygenates, such as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), as probes. In oxygenated aqueous media, Delta (Delta delta H-2/Delta delta C-13) values of 23 +/- 3 and 21 +/- 3 for ETBE obtained by photosensitization by Pahokee Peat Humic Acid (PPHA) and Suwannee River Fulvic Acid (SRFA), respectively, were in the range typical for H-abstraction by OH radicals generated by photolysis of H2O2 (Delta = 24 +/- 2). However, (3)HS* may become a predominant reactive species upon the quenching of OH radicals (Delta = 14 +/- 1), and this process can also play a key role in the degradation of ETBE by PPHA photosensitization in deoxygenated media (Delta = 11 +/- 1). This is in agreement with a model photosensitization by rose bengal (RB2-) in deoxygenated aqueous solutions resulting in one-electron oxidation of ETBE (Delta = 14 +/- 1). Our results demonstrate that the use of CSIA could open new avenues for the assessment of photosensitization pathways

The Molecular Identification of Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere: State of the Art and Challenges

SSCI-VIDE+ATARI:CARE+BNO:BDAInternational audienc

Tropospheric Aqueous-Phase Chemistry: Kinetics, Mechanisms, and Its Coupling to a Changing Gas Phase

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