title: Secondary organic aerosol composition from C12 alkanes.
abstract: The effects of structure, NOx conditions, relative humidity, and aerosol acidity on the chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) are reported for the photooxidation of three C12 alkanes: n-dodecane, cyclododecane, and hexylcyclohexane. Acidity was modified through seed particle composition: NaCl, (NH4)2SO4, and (NH4)2SO4 + H2SO4. Off-line analysis of SOA was carried out by solvent extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and direct analysis in real-time mass spectrometry. We report here 750 individual masses of SOA products identified from these three alkane systems and 324 isomers resolved by GC/MS analysis. The chemical compositions for each alkane system provide compelling evidence of particle-phase chemistry, including reactions leading to oligomer formation. Major oligomeric species for alkane SOA are peroxyhemiacetals, hemiacetals, esters, and aldol condensation products. Furans, dihydrofurans, hydroxycarbonyls, and their corresponding imine analogues are important participants in these oligomer-producing reactions. Imines are formed in the particle phase from the reaction of the ammonium sulfate seed aerosol with carbonyl-bearing compounds present in all the SOA systems. Under high-NO conditions, organonitrate products can lead to an increase of aerosol volume concentration by up to a factor of 5 over that in low-NO conditions. Structure was found to play a key role in determining the degree of functionalization and fragmentation of the parent alkane, influencing the mean molecular weight of the SOA produced and the mean atomic O:C ratio.
authors.affiliation: †Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Schilling Fahnestock
authors.affiliation: ‡Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.
authors.forename: Lindsay D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Yee
authors.affiliation: †Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Loza
authors.affiliation: †Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Coggon
authors.affiliation: ‡Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwantes
authors.affiliation: ‡Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: ‡Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.
authors.forename: Nathan F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Dalleska
authors.affiliation: †Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.|‡Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Seinfeld