AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
The Role of the Solvent Environment on Physical Properties in Secondary Organic Aerosol Mimicking Solutions
Rebecca Miller, Hannah Inman, Emmaline Longnecker, Lucy Metz, ANDREW BERKE, Smith College
Abstract Number: 340 Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry
Abstract Reactions between small dicarbonyl compounds and amines represent a useful model system for studying non-oxidative chemistry in secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). The chemical transformations that occur within the aqueous layer of a particle are mediated by the solvent environment surrounding those transformation reactions. Bulk-phase reactions of aerosol mimicking solutions offer insights into the role(s) of specific solute-solvent interactions, which have consequences for the production of light-absorbing compounds and aerosol physical properties. We seek to understand the role of small, oxidized solutes on these SOA-transforming chemical reactions.
Our research specifically focuses on understanding the effects of compounds containing alcohol, nitrile, or ketone functionality on the chemistry and physical properties of bulk-phase SOA-mimicking solutions that contain glyoxal and ammonium sulfate. Results will be presented for solution matrices that contain short-chain alcohols, diols, acetonitrile, and acetone. We study bulk solution properties, such as viscosity, and intermolecular interactions within the solvent matrix through infrared spectroscopy (IR-ATR). Perturbations to the solvent environment have wide-ranging effects on the reaction between glyoxal and ammonium sulfate and will be presented, including changes to solution viscosity as functions of species and concentration added. Applications of these bulk-phase studies to aerosol particles will be highlighted. System thermodynamics will also be discussed.