Interactions of peroxy radicals from monoterpene and isoprene oxidation simulated in the radical volatility basis set

Meredith Schervish, Martin Heinritzi, Dominik Stolzenburg, Lubna Dada, Mingyi Wang, Qing Ye, Victoria Hofbauer, Jenna DeVivo, Federico Bianchi, Sophia Brilke, Jonathan Duplissy, Imad El Haddad, Henning Finkenzeller, Xu Cheng He, Aleksander Kvashnin, Changhyuk Kim, Jasper Kirkby, Markku Kulmala, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Brandon LopezVladimir Makhmutov, Bernhard Mentler, Ugo Molteni, Wei Nie, Tuuka Petäjä, Lauriane Quéléver, Rainer Volkamer, Andrea C. Wagner, Paul Winkler, Chao Yan, Neil M. Donahue (Corresponding author)

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

Isoprene affects new particle formation rates in environments and experiments also containing monoterpenes. For the most part, isoprene reduces particle formation rates, but the reason is debated. It is proposed that due to its fast reaction with OH, isoprene may compete with larger monoterpenes for oxidants. However, by forming a large amount of peroxy-radicals (RO2), isoprene may also interfere with the formation of the nucleating species compared to a purely monoterpene system. We explore the RO2 cross reactions between monoterpene and isoprene oxidation products using the radical Volatility Basis Set (radical-VBS), a simplified reaction mechanism, comparing with observations from the CLOUD experiment at CERN. We find that isoprene interferes with covalently bound C20 dimers formed in the pure monoterpene system and consequently reduces the yields of the lowest volatility (Ultra Low Volatility Organic Carbon, ULVOC) VBS products. This in turn reduces nucleation rates, while having less of an effect on subsequent growth rates.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)740–753
Number of pages14
JournalEnvironmental Science: Atmospheres
Volume4
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 Jun 2024

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 103039 Aerosol physics
  • 105208 Atmospheric chemistry
  • 103037 Environmental physics
  • 104002 Analytical chemistry

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