Intercomparison Between Surrogate, Explicit, and Full Treatments of VSL Bromine Chemistry Within the CAM-Chem Chemistry-Climate Model.

Many Chemistry-Climate Models (CCMs) include a simplified treatment of brominated very short-lived (VSLBr) species by assuming CH3Br as a surrogate for VSLBr. However, neglecting a comprehensive treatment of VSLBr in CCMs may yield an unrealistic representation of the associated impacts. Here, we use the Community Atmospheric Model with Chemistry (CAM-Chem) CCM to quantify the tropospheric and stratospheric changes between various VSLBr chemical approaches with increasing degrees of complexity (i.e., surrogate, explicit, and full). Our CAM-Chem results highlight the improved accuracy achieved by considering a detailed treatment of VSLBr photochemistry, including sea-salt aerosol dehalogenation and heterogeneous recycling on ice-crystals. Differences between the full and surrogate schemes maximize in the lowermost stratosphere and midlatitude free troposphere, resulting in a latitudinally dependent reduction of ∼1-7 DU in total ozone column and a ∼5%-15% decrease of the OH/HO2 ratio. We encourage all CCMs to include a complete chemical treatment of VSLBr in the troposphere and stratosphere.

Rate Coefficient and Mechanism of the OH-Initiated Degradation of 1-Chlorobutane: Atmospheric Implications.

In this work, we investigate the degradation process of 1-chlorobutane, initiated by OH radicals, under atmospheric conditions (air pressure of 750 Torr and 296 K) from both experimental and theoretical approaches. In the first one, a relative kinetic method was used to obtain the rate coefficient for this reaction, while the products were identified for the first time (1-chloro-2-butanone, 1-chloro-2-butanol, 4-chloro-2-butanone, 3-hydroxy-butanaldehyde, and 3-chloro-2-butanol) using mass spectrometry, allowing suggesting a reaction mechanism. The theoretical calculations, for the reactive process, were computed using the BHandHLYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory, and the energies for all of the stationary points were refined at the CCSD(T) level. Five conformers for 1-chlorobutane and 33 reactive channels with OH radicals were found, which were considered to calculate the thermal rate coefficient (as the sum of the site-specific rate coefficients using canonical transition state theory). The theoretical rate coefficient (1.8 × 10-12 cm3 molecule-1 s-1) is in good agreement with the experimental value (2.22 ± 0.50) × 10-12 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 determined in this work. Finally, environmental impact indexes were calculated and a discussion on the atmospheric implications due to the emissions of this compound into the troposphere was given.

Rate coefficients for the reaction of OH radicals with cis-3-hexene: an experimental and theoretical study.

The kinetics of the cis-3-hexene + OH reaction were investigated by an experimental relative rate method and at the density functional theory level. The experimental set-up consisted of a 200 L Teflon bag, operated at atmospheric pressure and 298 K. OH radicals were produced by the photolysis of H2O2 at 254 nm. Relative rate coefficients were determined by comparing the decays of the cis-3-hexene and reference compounds (cyclohexene, 2-buten-1-ol and allyl ether). The mean second-order rate coefficient value found was (6.27 ± 0.66) × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), the uncertainty being estimated by propagation of errors. Theoretical calculations for the addition reaction of OH to cis-3-hexene have also been performed, at the BHandHLYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level, in order to investigate the reaction mechanism, to clarify the experimental observations and to model the reaction kinetics. Different conformations of the reactants, pre-barrier complexes and saddle points were considered in our calculations. The individual rate coefficients, calculated for each conformer of the reactant, at 298 K, using a microcanonical variational transition state method, are 4.19 × 10(-11) and 1.23 × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). The global rate coefficient was estimated from the Boltzmann distribution of the conformers to be 8.10 × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), which is in agreement with the experimental value. Rate coefficients calculated over the temperature range from 200-500 K are also given. Our results suggest that the complex mechanism, explicitly considering different conformations for the stationary points, must be taken into account for a proper description of the reaction kinetics.

Keto-ether and glycol-ethers in the troposphere: reactivity toward OH radicals and Cl atoms, global lifetimes, and atmospheric implications.

Rate coefficients for the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals and Cl atoms with 1-methoxy-2-propanone (1-M-2-PONE), 1-methoxy-2-propanol (1-M-2-POL), and 1-methoxy-2-butanol (1-M-2-BOL) were determined at room temperature and atmospheric pressure using a conventional relative-rate technique. The following absolute rate coefficients were derived: k 1(OH + 1-M-2-PONE) = (0.64 ± 0.13) × 10-11, k 2(OH + 1-M-2-BOL) = (2.19 ± 0.23) × 10-11, k 3(Cl + 1-M-2-PONE = (1.07 ± 0.24) × 10-10, k 4(Cl + 1-M-2-POL) = (2.28 ± 0.21) × 10-10, and k 5 (Cl + 1-M-2-BOL) = (2.79 ± 0.23) × 10-10, in units of cm3 molecule-1 s-1. This is the first experimental determination of k 2-k 5. These rate coefficients were used to discuss the influence of the structure on the reactivity of the studied polyfunctional organic compounds. The atmospheric implications for 1-M-2-PONE, 1-M-2-POL, and 1-M-2-BOL and their reactions were investigated estimating atmospheric parameters such as lifetimes, global warming potentials, and average photochemical ozone production. The approximate nature of these values was stressed considering that the studied oxygenated volatile organic compounds are short-lived compounds for which the calculated parameters may vary depending on chemical composition, location, and season at the emission points.