Effect of Slow Aging Reactions on Optical Properties of Secondary Organic Aerosol Prepared by Oxidation of Selected Monoterpenes

Organic particulate matter (PM) has a major impact on atmospheric chemistry, climate, and human health. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) accounts for a rather significant fraction of organic PM; this includes SOA produced by oxidation of biogenically emitted monoterpenes. Once such SOA is formed, it is believed to undergo slow aging processes, which may have large effects on the physical and chemical properties of the particles. This presentation focuses on the effect of slow chemical aging on optical properties of SOA formed from the ozone-induced oxidation of limonene, myrcene, and other selected monoterpenes. Several complementary techniques including high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, FTIR spectroscopy, UV/vis spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, 3D-fluorescence spectroscopy, and photodissociation spectroscopy are used to probe the aging-induced changes in physical properties and chemical composition of laboratory generated SOA. Limonene SOA appears to undergo a dramatic change in its absorption spectrum on a time scale of hours; it develops strong visible bands in the 400-500 nm region, and becomes fluorescent. This transformation is catalyzed by ammonium sulfate and certain amino acids. This rather unusual aging process can potentially contribute to the formation of brown carbon in biogenic SOA.