Iodide-catalyzed ozonation of terpenes on aqueous surfaces

Biogenic terpenes are the dominant global source of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA). Their atmospheric chemistry has therefore major direct and indirect impacts on global climate change. At the same time, it has become apparent that organic and inorganic iodine species of marine origin are ubiquitous in the troposphere. They are found over the open ocean (even in the absence of biogenic sources), the Antarctic coast, in rain, aerosols, ice, and snow, and participate in HOx/NOx cycles in the troposphere. Here we report that iodide catalyzes the ozonation of alpha-pinene on aqueous surfaces. Nebulizer-assisted online electrospray mass spectrometry of alpha-pinene solutions briefly exposed to gaseous ozone reveals that alpha-pinene, which is unreactive during 10 microsecond contact times, is converted into acids (e.g., pinonic acid) and previously unreported iodine-containing species in the presence of millimolar iodide. These newly found products were characterized by MS/MS in conjunction with isotope and kinetic studies, and may account for unidentified organoiodine species observed in recent field measurements.