Organic Nitrates Regulate the Production of Urban Secondary Organic Aerosol and Ozone

JUNFENG WANG, Jianhuai Ye, Hong Liao, Jie Zhang, Ke Li, Xinlei Ge, Daniel Jacob, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology

     Abstract Number: 173
     Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry

Abstract
Anthropogenic emissions of NOx and the presence of organic nitrates (ONs) affect the formation of atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and ozone (O3). However, the underlying mechanisms, especially the roles of the gas and particle-phase ON species, remain poorly understood. Herein, a field campaign conducted in urban Beijing is described for the investigation of the mechanisms by which ONs affect the production of SOA and O3 in summer. The measurements show that there were high concentrations (>40 ppb) of total reactive nitrogen reservoir species during nighttime. They arose from the oxidation of anthropogenic emissions by NO3 and consisted mainly of gaseous alkyl nitrates. These species produced in the night promoted particle growth and O3 production the following day.