Changes in Chemical Composition and Copepod Toxicity during Petroleum Photo-oxidation.

Photoproducts can be formed rapidly in the initial phase of a marine oil spill. However, their toxicity is not well understood. In this study, oil was irradiated, chemically characterized, and tested for toxicity in three copepod species (Acartia tonsa, Temora longicornis, and Calanus finmarchicus). Irradiation led to a depletion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes in oil residues, along with an enrichment in aromatic and aliphatic oil photoproducts. Target lipid model-based calculations of PAH toxicity units predicted that PAH toxicities were lower in water-accommodated fractions (WAFs) of irradiated oil residues ("irradiated WAFs") than in WAFs of dark-control samples ("dark WAFs"). In contrast, biomimetic extraction (BE) measurements showed increased bioaccumulation potential of dissolved constituents of irradiated WAFs compared to dark WAFs, mainly driven by photoproducts present in irradiated oil. In line with the BE results, copepod mortality increased in irradiated WAFs compared to dark WAFs. However, low copepod toxicities were observed for WAFs produced with photo-oxidized oil slicks collected during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The results of this study suggest that while oil photoproducts have the potential to be a significant source of copepod toxicity, dilution and dispersion of these higher solubility products appear to help mitigate their toxicity at sea.

Highly Resolved Composition during Diesel Evaporation with Modeled Ozone and Secondary Aerosol Formation: Insights into Pollutant Formation from Evaporative Intermediate Volatility Organic Compound Sources.

As stricter regulations continue to reduce vehicular emissions, other emission sources such as evaporative emissions from road building and volatile consumer products have become more important in overall pollutant forming emissions in many urban areas. Emission regulations have historically targeted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to reduce ozone, but intermediate volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) also contribute to ozone formation and the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) that often dominates fine particulate matter. Emission rates and pollutant formation from IVOCs are not well constrained in current inventories and models. This study uses diesel fuel as a representative IVOC mixture in evaporation tests performed in a wind tunnel under varying wind speeds and liquid diesel temperatures. Comprehensive composition measurements guided the development of a model to determine rates of evaporation and estimate pollutant production. Results show that reducing IVOC emissions can result in significant reductions in ozone formation, in addition to the expected reductions in SOA formation, and that IVOC emissions can continue over the course of a month. Ozone formation from IVOC emissions is equal to that from VOCs after 3 days of evaporation at 0.65 g-ozone/g-diesel released. SOA formation is dominated by IVOCs, reaching 0.2 g-SOA/g-diesel released after 30 days.

Reducing secondary organic aerosol formation from gasoline vehicle exhaust.

On-road gasoline vehicles are a major source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in urban areas. We investigated SOA formation by oxidizing dilute, ambient-level exhaust concentrations from a fleet of on-road gasoline vehicles in a smog chamber. We measured less SOA formation from newer vehicles meeting more stringent emissions standards. This suggests that the natural replacement of older vehicles with newer ones that meet more stringent emissions standards should reduce SOA levels in urban environments. However, SOA production depends on both precursor concentrations (emissions) and atmospheric chemistry (SOA yields). We found a strongly nonlinear relationship between SOA formation and the ratio of nonmethane organic gas to oxides of nitrogen (NOx) (NMOG:NOx), which affects the fate of peroxy radicals. For example, changing the NMOG:NOx from 4 to 10 ppbC/ppbNOx increased the SOA yield from dilute gasoline vehicle exhaust by a factor of 8. We investigated the implications of this relationship for the Los Angeles area. Although organic gas emissions from gasoline vehicles in Los Angeles are expected to fall by almost 80% over the next two decades, we predict no reduction in SOA production from these emissions due to the effects of rising NMOG:NOx on SOA yields. This highlights the importance of integrated emission control policies for NOx and organic gases.

Detailed Speciation of Intermediate Volatility and Semivolatile Organic Compound Emissions from Gasoline Vehicles: Effects of Cold-Starts and Implications for Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation.

Over the past two decades vehicle emission standards in the United States have been dramatically tightened with the goal of reducing urban air pollution. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is the dominant contributor to urban organic aerosol. Experiments were conducted at the California Air Resources Board Haagen-Smit Laboratory to characterize exhaust organics from 20 gasoline vehicles recruited from the California in-use fleet. The vehicles spanned a wide range of emission certification standards. We comprehensively characterized intermediate volatility and semivolatile organic compound emissions using thermal desorption two-dimensional gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry with electron impact (GC × GC-EI-MS) and vacuum-ultraviolet (GC × GC-VUV-MS) ionization. Single-ring aromatic compounds with unsaturated C4 and C5 substituents contribute a large fraction of the intermediate volatility organic compound (IVOC) emissions in gasoline vehicle exhaust. The analyses of quartz filters used in GC × GC-VUV-MS show that primary organic aerosol emissions were dominated by motor oil. We combined our new emissions data with published SOA yield parametrizations to estimate SOA formation potential. After 24 h of oxidation, IVOC emissions contributed 45% of  SOA formation;  BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, xylenes, and ethylbenzene), 40%;  other VOC aromatics, 15%. The composition of IVOC emissions was consistent across the test fleet, suggesting that future reductions in vehicular emissions will continue to reduce SOA formation and ambient particulate mass levels.

Comparison of Gasoline Direct-Injection (GDI) and Port Fuel Injection (PFI) Vehicle Emissions: Emission Certification Standards, Cold-Start, Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation Potential, and Potential Climate Impacts.

Recent increases in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards have led to widespread adoption of vehicles equipped with gasoline direct-injection (GDI) engines. Changes in engine technologies can alter emissions. To quantify these effects, we measured gas- and particle-phase emissions from 82 light-duty gasoline vehicles recruited from the California in-use fleet tested on a chassis dynamometer using the cold-start unified cycle. The fleet included 15 GDI vehicles, including 8 GDIs certified to the most-stringent emissions standard, superultra-low-emission vehicles (SULEV). We quantified the effects of engine technology, emission certification standards, and cold-start on emissions. For vehicles certified to the same emissions standard, there is no statistical difference of regulated gas-phase pollutant emissions between PFIs and GDIs. However, GDIs had, on average, a factor of 2 higher particulate matter (PM) mass emissions than PFIs due to higher elemental carbon (EC) emissions. SULEV certified GDIs have a factor of 2 lower PM mass emissions than GDIs certified as ultralow-emission vehicles (3.0 ± 1.1 versus 6.3 ± 1.1 mg/mi), suggesting improvements in engine design and calibration. Comprehensive organic speciation revealed no statistically significant differences in the composition of the volatile organic compounds emissions between PFI and GDIs, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). Therefore, the secondary organic aerosol and ozone formation potential of the exhaust does not depend on engine technology. Cold-start contributes a larger fraction of the total unified cycle emissions for vehicles meeting more-stringent emission standards. Organic gas emissions were the most sensitive to cold-start compared to the other pollutants tested here. There were no statistically significant differences in the effects of cold-start on GDIs and PFIs. For our test fleet, the measured 14.5% decrease in CO2 emissions from GDIs was much greater than the potential climate forcing associated with higher black carbon emissions. Thus, switching from PFI to GDI vehicles will likely lead to a reduction in net global warming.

Molecular Characterization of Organosulfur Compounds in Biodiesel and Diesel Fuel Secondary Organic Aerosol.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA), formed in the photooxidation of diesel fuel, biodiesel fuel, and 20% biodiesel fuel/80% diesel fuel mixture, are prepared under high-NOx conditions in the presence and absence of sulfur dioxide (SO2), ammonia (NH3), and relative humidity (RH). The composition of condensed-phase organic compounds in SOA is measured using several complementary techniques including aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS), high-resolution nanospray desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nano-DESI/HRMS), and ultrahigh resolution and mass accuracy 21T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (21T FT-ICR MS). Results demonstrate that sulfuric acid and condensed organosulfur species formed in photooxidation experiments with SO2 are present in the SOA particles. Fewer organosulfur species are formed in the high humidity experiments, performed at RH 90%, in comparison with experiments done under dry conditions. There is a strong overlap of organosulfur species observed in this study with previous field and chamber studies of SOA. Many MS peaks of organosulfates (R-OS(O)2OH) previously designated as biogenic or of unknown origin in field studies might have originated from anthropogenic sources, such as photooxidation of hydrocarbons present in diesel and biodiesel fuel.

Unimolecular Decay of the Dimethyl-Substituted Criegee Intermediate in Alkene Ozonolysis: Decay Time Scales and the Importance of Tunneling.

We used the steady-state master equation to model unimolecular decay of the Criegee intermediate formed from ozonolysis of 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene (tetramethylethylene, TME). Our results show the relative importance and time scales for both the prompt and thermal unimolecular decay of the dimethyl-substituted Criegee intermediate, (CH3)2COO. Calculated reactive fluxes show the importance of quantum mechanical tunneling for both prompt and thermal decay to OH radical products. We constrained the initial energy distribution of chemically activated (CH3)2COO formed in TME ozonolysis by combining microcanonical rates k(E) measured experimentally under collision-free conditions and modeled using semiclassical transition-state theory (SCTST) with pressure-dependent yields of stabilized Criegee intermediates measured with scavengers in flow-tube experiments. Thermal decay rates under atmospheric conditions k(298 K, 1 atm) increase by more than 1 order of magnitude when tunneling is included. Accounting for tunneling has important consequences for interpreting pressure dependent yields of stabilized Criegee intermediates, particularly with regard to the fraction of Criegee intermediates formed in the zero-pressure limit.

Effect of Organic Coatings, Humidity and Aerosol Acidity on Multiphase Chemistry of Isoprene Epoxydiols.

Multiphase chemistry of isomeric isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX) has been shown to be the dominant source of isoprene-derived secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Recent studies have reported particles composed of ammonium bisulfate (ABS) mixed with model organics exhibit slower rates of IEPOX uptake. In the present study, we investigate the effect of atmospherically relevant organic coatings of α-pinene (AP) SOA on the reactive uptake of trans-ß-IEPOX onto ABS particles under different conditions and coating thicknesses. Single particle mass spectrometry was used to characterize in real-time particle size, shape, density, and quantitative composition before and after reaction with IEPOX. We find that IEPOX uptake by pure sulfate particles is a volume-controlled process, which results in particles with uniform concentration of IEPOX-derived SOA across a wide range of sizes. Aerosol acidity was shown to enhance IEPOX-derived SOA formation, consistent with recent studies. The presence of water has a weaker impact on IEPOX-derived SOA yield, but significantly enhanced formation of 2-methyltetrols, consistent with offline filter analysis. In contrast, IEPOX uptake by ABS particles coated with AP-derived SOA is lower compared to that of pure ABS particles, strongly dependent on particle composition, and therefore on particle size.

Time Resolved Measurements of Speciated Tailpipe Emissions from Motor Vehicles: Trends with Emission Control Technology, Cold Start Effects, and Speciation.

Experiments were conducted at the California Air Resources Board Haagen-Smit Laboratory to understand changes in vehicle emissions in response to stricter emissions standards over the past 25 years. Measurements included a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for a wide range of spark ignition gasoline vehicles meeting varying levels of emissions standards, including all certifications from Tier 0 up to Partial Zero Emission Vehicle. Standard gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HLPC) analyses were employed for drive-cycle phase emissions. A proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer measured time-resolved emissions for a wide range of VOCs. Cold-start emissions occur almost entirely in the first 30-60 s for newer vehicles. Cold-start emissions have compositions that are not significantly different across all vehicles tested and are markedly different from neat fuel. Hot-stabilized emissions have varying importance depending on species and may require a driving distance of 200 miles to equal the emissions from a single cold start. Average commute distances in the U.S. suggest the majority of in-use vehicles have emissions dominated by cold starts. The distribution of vehicle ages in the U.S. suggests that within several years only a few percent of vehicles will have significant driving emissions compared to cold-start emissions.

Fuel composition and secondary organic aerosol formation: gas-turbine exhaust and alternative aviation fuels.

A series of smog chamber experiments were performed to investigate the effects of fuel composition on secondary particulate matter (PM) formation from dilute exhaust from a T63 gas-turbine engine. Tests were performed at idle and cruise loads with the engine fueled on conventional military jet fuel (JP-8), Fischer-Tropsch synthetic jet fuel (FT), and a 50/50 blend of the two fuels. Emissions were sampled into a portable smog chamber and exposed to sunlight or artificial UV light to initiate photo-oxidation. Similar to previous studies, neat FT fuel and a 50/50 FT/JP-8 blend reduced the primary particulate matter emissions compared to neat JP-8. After only one hour of photo-oxidation at typical atmospheric OH levels, the secondary PM production in dilute exhaust exceeded primary PM emissions, except when operating the engine at high load on FT fuel. Therefore, accounting for secondary PM production should be considered when assessing the contribution of gas-turbine engine emissions to ambient PM levels. FT fuel substantially reduced secondary PM formation in dilute exhaust compared to neat JP-8 at both idle and cruise loads. At idle load, the secondary PM formation was reduced by a factor of 20 with the use of neat FT fuel, and a factor of 2 with the use of the blend fuel. At cruise load, the use of FT fuel resulted in no measured formation of secondary PM. In every experiment, the secondary PM was dominated by organics with minor contributions from sulfate when the engine was operated on JP-8 fuel. At both loads, FT fuel produces less secondary organic aerosol than JP-8 because of differences in the composition of the fuels and the resultant emissions. This work indicates that fuel reformulation may be a viable strategy to reduce the contribution of emissions from combustion systems to secondary organic aerosol production and ultimately ambient PM levels.

Adventures in ozoneland: down the rabbit-hole.

In this perspective we describe a 15 year pursuit of the Stabilized Criegee Intermediate (SCI). We have conducted several complementary experiments to measure the pressure dependence of product yields-including OH radical and ozonides-on sequences of alkene + ozone systems. In so doing we have been able to bring into gradual focus a succession of weakly bound intermediates, starting with the primary ozonide, then the SCI, and finally a vinyl hydroperoxide (VHP) product of SCI rearrangement. We have narrowed the phase space in our hunt for direct SCI observations to a range of alkene carbon numbers and system pressures, but the system continues to deliver surprises. One surprise is strong evidence that the VHP is a significant bottleneck along the reaction coordinate. These findings support the search for the SCI, build our fundamental understanding of collisional energy transfer in highly excited, multiple-well, chemically activated systems, and finally directly inform atmospheric chemistry on topics including HO(x) radical formation and reactions associated with secondary organic aerosol formation.

2,3-Dimethyl-2-butene (TME) ozonolysis: pressure dependence of stabilized Criegee intermediates and evidence of stabilized vinyl hydroperoxides.

We present measurements of the pressure dependence of stabilized Criegee intermediate (SCI) formation utilizing a hexafluoroacetone scavenger. SCI yields in the ozonolysis of 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene (TME) were measured in a high pressure flow reactor within a range of 50-710 Torr. Within this pressure range, SCI yields increase linearly with pressure. A zero pressure intercept of about 15% indicates that a significant fraction of CI are formed below the barrier to isomerization. By comparison of our results of the pressure dependence of SCI formation and both prompt and long-time OH yields, our results indicate that OH formation from ozonolysis proceeds via at least two intermediates, the SCI and presumably a vinylhydroperoxide (VHP).

Pressure dependence of stabilized Criegee intermediate formation from a sequence of alkenes.

Ozonolysis is a key reaction in atmospheric chemistry, although important details of the behavior of the ozonolysis intermediates are not known. The key intermediate in ozonolysis, the Criegee intermeiate (CI), is known to quickly isomerize, with the favored unimolecular pathway depending on the relative barriers to isomerization. Stabilized Criegee intermediates (SCI), those with energy below any barriers to isomerization, may result from initial formation with low energy or collisional stabilization of high energy CI. Bimolecular reactions of SCI have been proposed to play a role in OH formation and nucleation of new particles, but unimolecular reactions of SCI may well be too fast for these to be significant. We present measurements of the pressure dependence of SCI formation for a set of alkenes utilizing a hexafluoroacetone scavenger. We studied four alkenes (2,3-dimethyl-2-butene (TME), trans-5-decene, cyclohexene, α-pinene) to characterize how size and cyclization (endo vs exo) affect the stability of Criegee intermediates formed in ozonolysis. SCI yields in ozonolysis were measured in a high pressure flow reactor within a range of 30-750 Torr. The linear alkenes show considerable stabilization with trans-5-decene showing 100% stabilization at ∼400 Torr and TME having 65% stabilization at 710 Torr. Extrapolation of the yields for linear alkenes to 0 Torr shows yields significantly above zero, indicating that a fraction of their CI are formed below the barrier to isomerization. CI from endocyclic alkenes show little to no stabilization and appear to have neglible stabilization at 0 Torr. Cyclohexene derived CI showed no stabilization even at 650 Torr, while α-pinene CI had ∼15% stabilization at 740 Torr. Our results show a strong dependence of SCI formation on carbon number; adding just 2 to 3 CI carbons in linear alkenes increases stabilization by a factor of 10. Stabilization for endocyclic alkenes, at atmospheric pressure, begins to occur at a carbon number of 10, with only modest yields of SCI.

The HOOH UV spectrum: importance of the transition dipole moment and torsional motion from semiclassical calculations on an ab initio potential energy surface.

The absorption cross section of HOOH, a starting point for larger ROOH, was calculated using the "Wigner method." Calculations use the Wigner transform of ground state wave functions and classical approximations for excited state wave functions. Potential energy and transition dipole moment surfaces were calculated using the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles method over an extended Franck-Condon region. The first two O-O stretches and the first five HOOH torsional levels are included. This study also addresses two fundamental questions about ROOH photodissociation. The long wavelength A(1)A:B(1)B excited state preference has been measured from dynamics experiments, but a Franck-Condon overlap explanation has not been directly verified. A moderate barrier to HOOH torsional motion and excited state dynamics affect the temperature dependence in the UV spectrum. Based on these initial findings for HOOH, photodissociation of large ROOH cannot be eliminated as an important factor for ozone and particulate matter production seen in both ambient and laboratory studies.

Organic matrix effects on the formation of light-absorbing compounds from α-dicarbonyls in aqueous salt solution.

Aqueous-phase reactions of organic compounds are of general importance in environmental systems. Reactions of α-dicarbonyl compounds in the aqueous phase of atmospheric aerosols can impact their climate-relevant physical properties including hygroscopicity and absorption of light. Less-reactive water-soluble organic compounds may contribute an organic matrix component to the aqueous environment, potentially impacting the reaction kinetics. In this work we demonstrate the effects of organic matrices on the self-reactions of glyoxal (Gly) and methylglyoxal (mGly) in aqueous solutions containing ammonium sulfate. At an organic-to-sulfate mass ratio of 2 : 1, carbohydrate-like matrices resembling oxidized organic aerosol material reduce the rate of formation of light-absorbing products by up to an order of magnitude. The greatest decreases in the reaction rates were observed for organic matrices with smaller, more linear molecular structures. Initial UV-Vis spectra, product studies, relative rate data, acidity changes, and viscosity measurements suggest that shifts in carbonyl equilibria, due in part to (hemi)acetal formation with the matrix, reduce the rate of formation of light-absorbing imidazole and oligomer species.