10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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The Presence of Phenanthrene Oxidation Products in α-Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol Particles
AMBER KRAMER, Kaitlyn J. Suski, Alla Zelenyuk, Staci L. Simonich, Oregon State University
Abstract Number: 956 Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry
Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic environmental pollutants which are transported globally on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and monitored in many parts of the world. Phenanthrene is a ubiquitous model three-ringed PAH. Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) are naturally formed through atmospheric reactions of biogenic volatile organic compounds, making up a large fraction of PM2.5, and have been shown to trap and transport PAHs. SOA particles have been shown to consist of highly oxidized organic compounds and reactive oxygen species, which have the potential to react with other organic components such as PAHs, changing the physical properties of the particles and their ability to enhance long range atmospheric transport. The presence of oxidized PAHs has been shown, and needs to be explored to improve atmospheric transport modeling and human risk assessment. In controlled laboratory experiments, ozone reacted α-pinene SOA will be grown with gas phase phenanthrene present. Particles will be monitored for physical characteristics over time, and filters of SOA particles will be collected and analyzed for phenanthrene and phenanthrene oxidation products. Collected SOA filters will be extracted and analyzed using gas-chromatography partnered with mass spectrometry to determine the chemical makeup of the phenanthrene within the particles. The specific compound mixtures will be screened for changes in oxidative potential and developmental toxicity. Preliminary experiments have shown that PHE reacts within SOA system to form mono-hydroxy PHE, and poly-hydroxy PHE compounds. Data also shows that the ratios of compounds continues to change over aging of the particles, and with exposure to ozone.