Phototautomerization of Acetaldehyde to Vinyl Alcohol: A Primary Process in UV-Irradiated Acetaldehyde from 295 to 335 nm.

The concentrations of organic acids, key species in the formation of secondary organic aerosols, are underestimated by atmospheric chemistry models by a factor of ∼2. Vinyl alcohol (VA, CH2═CHOH, ethenol) has been suggested as a precursor to formic acid, but sufficient tropospheric sources of VA have not been identified. Here, we show that VA is formed upon irradiation of neat acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) in the actinic ultraviolet region, between 295 and 330 nm.