A study of the reactions of Ni and NiO ions relevant to planetary upper atmospheres.

The reactions between Ni+(2D) and O3, O2, N2, CO2 and H2O were studied at 294 K using the pulsed laser ablation at 532 nm of a nickel metal target in a fast flow tube, with mass spectrometric detection of Ni+ and NiO+. The rate coefficient for the reaction of Ni+ with O3 is k(294 K) = (9.7 ± 2.

A study of the reactions of Al ions with O, N, O, CO and HO: influence on Al chemistry in planetary ionospheres.

The reactions between Al+(31S) and O3, O2, N2, CO2 and H2O were studied using the pulsed laser ablation at 532 nm of an aluminium metal target in a fast flow tube, with mass spectrometric detection of Al+ and AlO+. The rate coefficient for the reaction of Al+ with O3 is k(293 K) = (1.4 ± 0.

Molecular characterization of organosulfates in organic aerosols from Shanghai and Los Angeles urban areas by nanospray-desorption electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Fine aerosol particles in the urban areas of Shanghai and Los Angeles were collected on days that were characterized by their stagnant air and high organic aerosol concentrations. They were analyzed by nanospray-desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with high mass resolution (m/Δm = 100,000). Solvent mixtures of acetonitrile and water and acetonitrile and toluene were used to extract and ionize polar and nonpolar compounds, respectively.

Retrieving the translational diffusion coefficient of water from experiments on single levitated aerosol droplets.

The time-dependent growth and shrinkage of aqueous aerosol particles trapped in an electrodynamic balance exposed to changes in relative humidity (RH) depend on the translational diffusion coefficient of water (DH2O). Resonances in the Mie scattering patterns of the illuminated micrometre-sized droplets are used to follow the compositional evolution through stepwise changes in RH. Under conditions where the diffusion of water molecules becomes sufficiently slow, e.

Measurements of thermodynamic and optical properties of selected aqueous organic and organic-inorganic mixtures of atmospheric relevance.

Atmospheric aerosol particles can exhibit liquid solution concentrations supersaturated with respect to the dissolved organic and inorganic species and supercooled with respect to ice. In this study, thermodynamic and optical properties of sub- and supersaturated aqueous solutions of atmospheric interest are presented. The density, refractive index, water activity, ice melting temperatures, and homogeneous ice freezing temperatures of binary aqueous solutions containing L(+)-tartaric acid, tannic acid, and levoglucosan and ternary aqueous solutions containing levoglucosan and one of the salts NH(4)HSO(4), (NH(4))(2)SO(4), and NH(4)NO(3) have been measured in the supersaturated concentration range for the first time.

Comparing the mechanism of water condensation and evaporation in glassy aerosol.

Atmospheric models generally assume that aerosol particles are in equilibrium with the surrounding gas phase. However, recent observations that secondary organic aerosols can exist in a glassy state have highlighted the need to more fully understand the kinetic limitations that may control water partitioning in ambient particles. Here, we explore the influence of slow water diffusion in the condensed aerosol phase on the rates of both condensation and evaporation, demonstrating that significant inhibition in mass transfer occurs for ultraviscous aerosol, not just for glassy aerosol.

High-resolution desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for chemical characterization of organic aerosols.

Characterization of the chemical composition and chemical transformations of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is both a major challenge and the area of greatest uncertainty in current aerosol research. This study presents the first application of desorption electrospray ionization combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) for detailed chemical characterization and studies of chemical aging of organic aerosol (OA) samples collected on Teflon substrates. DESI-MS offers unique advantages both for detailed characterization of chemically labile components in OA that cannot be detected using traditional electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and for studying chemical aging of OA.

Photolysis in aqueous aerosols: 300 nm yields of Fe2+ from a ferrioxalate actinometer and of OH radical from nitrate ions.

300 nm photolysis yields of Fe(2+) from potassium ferrioxalate and of OH from nitrate ion have been measured in aqueous aerosols, the yield from ferrioxalate in a bulk solution being used to measure the light intensity. Mie theory was used to calculate effective cross-sections for absorption and scattering of light by the aerosol droplets. Yields of OH from nitrate ion have been measured with benzoic acid and carbon monoxide radical scavengers.