Ice Nucleation Abilities and Chemical Characteristics of Laboratory-Generated and Aged Biomass Burning Aerosols.

Biomass burning aerosol (BBA) contributes significantly to the global aerosol burden, yet its chemical nature and ice nucleation activities (INAs) are unconstrained due to the heterogeneity in biomass sources and complex evolution of atmospheric aging processes. This study comprehensively investigates the chemical composition and INA of BBA generated through laboratory-controlled burns with different biomasses and burning conditions. Both freshly emitted and photochemically aged BBA produced from different processes exhibit distinct and reproducible chemical compositions.

A Semi-Quantitative Approach to Nontarget Compositional Analysis of Complex Samples.

Nontarget analysis (NTA) by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry improves the capacity to comprehend the molecular composition of complex mixtures compared to targeted analysis techniques. However, the detection of unknown compounds means that quantification in NTA is challenging. This study proposes a new semi-quantitative methodology for use in the NTA of organic aerosol.