AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
Investigation of the Reactivity of PAHs Present in Model Indoor Surfaces
SHOUMING ZHOU, Matthew Forbes, Jonathan Abbatt, University of Toronto
Abstract Number: 4 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract It is well known that indoor surfaces are covered by semi-volatile organic and inorganic substances that arise from deposition of aerosol particles, primary and secondary gas-phase species, as well as skin oils; however, it is not clear whether this semi-volatile surface layer (SVSL) affects the reactivity of the substances either mixed with it or embedded under it. Given that these substances can be transferred to humans through dermal contact, via inhalation of both volatile components and aerosol particles, or by hand-to-mouth ingestion, it is important to understand the reactivity of SVSLs as a function of indoor environmental conditions.
In this work, we have developed quantitative analytical technique using direct analysis in real time-mass spectrometry (DART-MS) for chemical study of the heterogeneous oxidation of SVSLs. Using a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) as a surrogate reactive species, the reactivity of the PAH towards gas-phase ozone is investigated by mixing the PAH with different SVSL substances, e.g. cooking oil (liquid), secondary organic aerosol (SOA) collected from ozonolysis of α-pinene (viscous liquid/glass), and meso-erythritol (solid), as well as aerosol substances collected in authentic indoor environments. The effects of the phase of the SVSL, the relative humidity, and exposure light on the reactivity will be systematically investigated.