Real-time continuous characterization of secondary organic aerosol derived from isoprene epoxydiols in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, using the Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor.

Real-time continuous chemical measurements of fine aerosol were made using an Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) during summer and fall 2011 in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Organic mass spectra measured by the ACSM were analyzed by positive matrix factorization (PMF), yielding three conventional factors: hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), semivolatile oxygenated organic aerosol (SV-OOA), and low-volatility oxygenated organic aerosol (LV-OOA). An additional OOA factor that contributed to 33 ± 10% of the organic mass was resolved in summer. This factor had a mass spectrum that strongly correlated (r(2) = 0.74) to that obtained from laboratory-generated secondary organic aerosol (SOA) derived from synthetic isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX). Time series of this additional factor is also well correlated (r(2) = 0.59) with IEPOX-derived SOA tracers from filters collected in Atlanta but less correlated (r(2) < 0.3) with a methacrylic acid epoxide (MAE)-derived SOA tracer, α-pinene SOA tracers, and a biomass burning tracer (i.e., levoglucosan), and primary emissions. Our analyses suggest IEPOX as the source of this additional factor, which has some correlation with aerosol acidity (r(2) = 0.3), measured as H(+) (nmol m(-3)), and sulfate mass loading (r(2) = 0.48), consistent with prior work showing that these two parameters promote heterogeneous chemistry of IEPOX to form SOA.

Epoxide as a precursor to secondary organic aerosol formation from isoprene photooxidation in the presence of nitrogen oxides.

Isoprene is a substantial contributor to the global secondary organic aerosol (SOA) burden, with implications for public health and the climate system. The mechanism by which isoprene-derived SOA is formed and the influence of environmental conditions, however, remain unclear. We present evidence from controlled smog chamber experiments and field measurements that in the presence of high levels of nitrogen oxides (NO(x) = NO + NO2) typical of urban atmospheres, 2-methyloxirane-2-carboxylic acid (methacrylic acid epoxide, MAE) is a precursor to known isoprene-derived SOA tracers, and ultimately to SOA. We propose that MAE arises from decomposition of the OH adduct of methacryloylperoxynitrate (MPAN). This hypothesis is supported by the similarity of SOA constituents derived from MAE to those from photooxidation of isoprene, methacrolein, and MPAN under high-NOx conditions. Strong support is further derived from computational chemistry calculations and Community Multiscale Air Quality model simulations, yielding predictions consistent with field observations. Field measurements taken in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, considered along with the modeling results indicate the atmospheric significance and relevance of MAE chemistry across the United States, especially in urban areas heavily impacted by isoprene emissions. Identification of MAE implies a major role of atmospheric epoxides in forming SOA from isoprene photooxidation. Updating current atmospheric modeling frameworks with MAE chemistry could improve the way that SOA has been attributed to isoprene based on ambient tracer measurements, and lead to SOA parameterizations that better capture the dependency of yield on NO(x).