Abstract View
Inorganic Sulfur Species Formation upon Heterogeneous OH Oxidation of Organosulfates: Methyl Sulfate
Kai Chung Kwong, Yao Ge, Hon Yin Poon, Rongshuang Xu, Jian Zhen Yu, MAN NIN CHAN, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Abstract Number: 29
Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry
Abstract
Increasing evidence has revealed that sulfur in atmospheric particles can exist in its organic form, namely, organosulfur compounds. Organosulfates are characterized by the sulfate ester functional group and are one of the most important classes of organosulfur compounds detected in atmospheric particles. Organosulfates are generally thought to be chemically stable in the atmosphere. In this work, we show that methyl sulfate, the smallest organosulfate, can be oxidized heterogeneously by gas-phase OH radicals. A significant amount of inorganic sulfur (i.e. bisulfate and sulfate ions) is formed at a reasonable rate upon oxidation. To date, a variety of organosulfates with significant concentrations has been detected in atmospheric particles. These results suggest the importance of a sulfur conversion between its organic and inorganic forms in atmospheric particles or cloud droplets.