Characterization of fine mode atmospheric aerosols by Raman microscopy and diffuse reflectance FTIR.

A combination of Raman microscopy and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) has been used for the characterization of fine mode (<1 µm) tropospheric aerosols. Peak fitting was used to identify five overlapping bands in the Raman spectra. These bands have been identified as due to combustion generated carbon soot as well as large molecular organic carbon species. The fwhm of the D band at 1400 cm(-1) as well as the ratio of intensities of the D3 band at 1550 cm(-1) to the G band at 1580 cm(-1) can serve as a measure of the aerosol organic carbon content. Raman microscopy combined with spectral mapping capabilities was used to investigate the composition of the fine mode aerosols at the particle level, allowing for the direct determination of aerosol mixing state. Results showed that the fine aerosols were predominately internally mixed particles composed of carbon soot coated with molecular organic carbon species. Characterization of the aerosols by diffuse reflectance FTIR showed that the major organic carbon species were polycarboxylates and polysaccharide-like species typical of humic-like substances (HULIS).

Hydroxyl radical substitution in halogenated carbonyls: oxalic acid formation.

An ab initio study of OH radical substitution reactions in halogenated carbonyls is conducted. Hydroxyl radical substitution into oxalyl dichloride [ClC(O)C(O)Cl] and oxalyl dibromide [BrC(O)C(O)Br], resulting in the formation of oxalic acid, is presented. Analogous substitution reactions in formyl chloride [ClCH(O)], acetyl chloride [ClC(O)CH(3)], formyl bromide [BrCH(O)], and acetyl bromide [BrC(O)CH(3)] are considered. Energetics of competing hydrogen abstraction reactions for all applicable species are computed for comparison. Geometry optimizations and frequency computations are performed using the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) and the 6-31G(d) basis set for all minimum species and transition states. Single point energy computations are performed using fourth-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP4) and coupled cluster theory [CCSD(T)]. Potential energy surfaces, including activation energies and enthalpies, are determined from the computations. These potential energy surfaces show that OH substitution into ClC(O)C(O)Cl and BrC(O)C(O)Br, resulting in the formation of oxalic acid and other minor products, is energetically favorable. Energetics of analogous reactions with ClCH(O), BrCH(O), ClC(O)CH(3), and BrC(O)CH(3) are also computed.

Beryllium-7 measurements in the Houston and Phoenix urban areas: an estimation of upper atmospheric ozone contributions.

Natural radionuclides have been proposed as a means of assessing the transport of ozone (O3) and aerosols in the troposphere. Beryllium-7 (7Be) is produced in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere by the interaction of cosmogenic particles with atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen. 7Be has a 53.29-day half-life (478 keV gamma) and is known to attach to fine particles in the atmosphere once it is formed. It has been suggested that O3 from aloft can be transported into rural and urban regions during stratospheric-tropospheric folding events leading to increased background levels of O3 at the surface. 7Be can be used as a tracer of upper atmospheric air parcels and the O3 associated with them. Aerosol samples with a 2.5-microm cutoff were collected during 12-hr cycles (day/night) for a 30-day period at Deer Park, TX, near Houston, in August-September of 2000, and at Waddell, AZ, near Phoenix, in June-July of 2001. A comparison of 7Be levels with 12-hr O3 averages and maxima shows little correlation. Comparison of nighttime and daytime O3 levels indicate that during the day, when mixing is anticipated to be higher, the correlation of 7Be with O3 in Houston is approximately twice that observed at night. This is consistent with mixing and with the anticipated loss of O3 by reaction with nitric oxide (NO) and dry deposition. At best, 30% of the O3 variance can be explained by the correlation with 7Be for Houston, less than that for Phoenix where no significant correlation was seen. This result is consistent with the intercept values obtained for 7Be correlations with either O3 24-hr averages or O3 12-hr maxima and is also in the range of the low O3 levels (25 ppb) observed at Deer Park during a tropical storm event where the O3 is attributable primarily to background air masses. That is, maximum background O3 level contributions from stratospheric sources aloft are estimated to be in the range of 15-30 ppb in the Houston, TX, and Phoenix, AZ, area, and levels above these are because of local tropospheric photochemical production.

Atmospheric chemistry and air pollution.

Atmospheric chemistry is an important discipline for understanding air pollution and its impacts. This mini-review gives a brief history of air pollution and presents an overview of some of the basic photochemistry involved in the production of ozone and other oxidants in the atmosphere. Urban air quality issues are reviewed with a specific focus on ozone and other oxidants, primary and secondary aerosols, alternative fuels, and the potential for chlorine releases to amplify oxidant chemistry in industrial areas. Regional air pollution issues such as acid rain, long-range transport of aerosols and visibility loss, and the connections of aerosols to ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate chemistry are examined. Finally, the potential impacts of air pollutants on the global-scale radiative balances of gases and aerosols are discussed briefly.