Synthesis and Analysis of Putative Terpene Oxidation Products and the Secondary Organic Aerosol Particles that Form from Them

The terpenes isoprene and α-pinene are abundant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted by trees and oxidized in the atmosphere. However, the chemical processes involved in the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles from VOCs are not well understood. In this work, we use a combined synthetic, analytical, and theoretical approach to gain a molecular level understanding of the chemistry involved in the formation of SOA particles from VOC precursors. To this end, we have synthesized putative products of isoprene and α-pinene oxidation and the oligomers that form from them. Specifically, we have focused on the epoxide and 2-methyltetraols that form from isoprene oxidation by hydroxyl radicals, as well as products of α-pinene ozonolysis. In our analysis, we utilize a spectroscopic technique called sum frequency generation (SFG). SFG is a coherent, surface-specific, vibrational spectroscopy that uses infrared and visible laser light fields, overlapped spatially and temporally at a surface, to probe vibrational transitions within molecules. Our use of this technique allows us to assess the chemical identity of aerosol-forming components at their surfaces, where interactions with the gas phase occur. The spectral responses from these compounds are compared to those of synthetic isoprene- and α-pinene-derived aerosol particles, as well as natural aerosol particles collected in tropical and boreal forests to begin to predict the constituents that may be present at the surfaces of these particles. In addition, isotope editing is utilized to gain a better understanding of α-pinene. The rigidity of this molecule makes it difficult to understand spectroscopically. The combination of synthesis with deuterium labeling, theory, and broadband and high-resolution SFG spectroscopy in the C-H and C-D stretching regions allow us to determine the orientation of this important molecule on a surface, which could have implications for its reactivity in the atmosphere. This work will also aid in spectroscopic assignments, which are difficult due to the presence of non-normal modes in the SFG spectra.