Protonation and oligomerization of gaseous isoprene on mildly acidic surfaces: implications for atmospheric chemistry

Why do some metal ions spontaneously form nanoparticles in water microdroplets? Disentangling the contributions of the air-water interface and bulk redox chemistry

Water microdroplets containing 100 μM HAuCl4 have been shown to reduce gold ions into gold nanoparticles spontaneously. It has been suggested that this chemical transformation takes place exclusively at the air-water interface of microdroplets, albeit without mechanistic insights. We compared the fate of several metallic salts in water, methanol, ethanol, and acetonitrile in the bulk phase and microdroplet geometry (sprays). Experiments revealed that when HAuCl4 (or PtCl4) is added to bulk water (or methanol or ethanol), metal NPs appear spontaneously. Over time, the nanoparticles grow, evidenced by the bulk solutions' changing colors. If the bulk solution is sprayed pneumatically and microdroplets are collected, the NP size distribution is not significantly enhanced. We find that the reduction of metal ions is accompanied by the oxidation of water (or alcohols); however, these redox reactions are minimal in acetonitrile. This establishes that the spontaneous reduction of metal ions is (i) a bulk phase phenomenon in water and several non-aqueous solutions, (ii) minimally affected by the air-water interface or the microdroplet geometry, and (iii) is not limited to Au3+ ions and can be explained via the electrochemical series. These results advance our understanding of aquatic chemistry and liquids in general and should be relevant in soil chemistry, biogeochemistry, electrochemistry, and green chemistry.

Revisiting the Enhanced Chemical Reactivity in Water Microdroplets: The Case of a Diels-Alder Reaction

Often, chemical reactions are markedly accelerated in microdroplets compared with the corresponding bulk phase. While identifying the precise causative factors remains challenging, the interfacial electric field (IEF) and partial solvation are the two widely proposed factors, accounting for the acceleration or turning on of many reactions in microdroplets. In sharp contrast, this combined computational and experimental study demonstrates that these two critical factors have a negligible effect on promoting a model Diels-Alder (DA) reaction between cyclopentadiene and acrylonitrile in water microdroplets. Instead, the acceleration of the DA reaction appears to be driven by the effect of confinement and the concentration increase caused by evaporation. Quantum chemical calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations coupled with enhanced sampling techniques predict that the air-water interface exhibits a higher free-energy barrier of this reaction than the bulk, while external electric fields marginally reduce the barrier. Remarkably, the catalytic capability of the IEF at the water microdroplet surface is largely hampered by its fluctuating character. Mass spectrometric assessment of the microdroplet reaction corroborates these findings, suggesting that the DA reaction is not facilitated by the IEF as increasing the spray potential suppresses the DA products by promoting substrate oxidation. While the DA reaction exhibits a surface preference in water microdroplets, the same reaction tends to occur mainly within the core of the acetonitrile microdroplet, suggesting that the partial solvation is not necessarily a critical factor for accelerating this reaction in microdroplets. Moreover, experiments indicate that the rapid evaporation of microdroplets and subsequent reagent enrichment within the accessible confined volume of microdroplets caused the observed acceleration of the DA reaction in water microdroplets.

Size-dependent acidity of aqueous nano-aerosols

Understanding the accurate acidity of nano-aerosols is important for the research on atmospheric chemistry. Herein, we propose the contributions from both the aerosol size and multiphase buffer effect to the steady-state acidity of nano-aerosols at a constant aerosol water content (AWC) through molecular simulations. As increasing of the aerosol size, the solvation free energy (SFE, ΔGs) became more negative (decreasing by 3-130 kcal mol-1 for different types of species) and Henry's law constant (H) apparently increased (from e6 to e16 mol m-3 Pa-1) in the nano-aerosols compared to that in bulk solutions. The lower SFE led to lower solute pKa and pKb values; thus, the acidity of HSO4- and HNO3 and the alkalinity of NH3 showed positive relations with the aerosol size. The lower H also increased the pKa of gaseous solutes, leading to a decrease in the acidity of HNO3 and a shift from alkaline to acidic for the NH4+/NH3 buffer pair in the nano-aerosols. The present study revealed the relationship between aerosol acidity and solvent size from a microscopic perspective. Specifically, the acidity of aerosols containing HSO4-/SO42- and HNO3/NO3- decreased with an increase in their radii, whereas aerosols containing NH4+/NH3 exhibited an opposite trend. This phenomenon can be attributed to the disappearance of the interfacial effect with an increase in the size of the aerosols. The above conclusions are of great significance for studying the pH-dependent multi-phase chemical processes in aerosols.

Art, fact and artifact: reflections on the cross-talk between theory and experiment

With the increasing sophistication of each, theory and experiment have become highly specialized endeavors conducted by separate research groups. A result has been a weakening of the coupling between them and occasional hostility. Examples are given and suggestions are offered for strengthening the traditional synergy between theory and experiment.

The emerging chemistry of self-electrified water interfaces

Water is known for dissipating electrostatic charges, but it is also a universal agent of matter electrification, creating charged domains in any material contacting or containing it. This new role of water was discovered during the current century. It is proven in a fast-growing number of publications reporting direct experimental measurements of excess charge and electric potential. It is indirectly verified by its success in explaining surprising phenomena in chemical synthesis, electric power generation, metastability, and phase transition kinetics. Additionally, electrification by water is opening the way for developing green technologies that are fully compatible with the environment and have great potential to contribute to sustainability. Electrification by water shows that polyphasic matter is a charge mosaic, converging with the Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars effect, which was discovered one century ago but is still often ignored. Electrified sites in a real system are niches showing various local electrochemical potentials for the charged species. Thus, the electrified mosaics display variable chemical reactivity and mass transfer patterns. Water contributes to interfacial electrification from its singular structural, electric, mixing, adsorption, and absorption properties. A long list of previously unexpected consequences of interfacial electrification includes: "on-water" reactions of chemicals dispersed in water that defy current chemical wisdom; reactions in electrified water microdroplets that do not occur in bulk water, transforming the droplets in microreactors; and lowered surface tension of water, modifying wetting, spreading, adhesion, cohesion, and other properties of matter. Asymmetric capacitors charged by moisture and water are now promising alternative equipment for simultaneously producing electric power and green hydrogen, requiring only ambient thermal energy. Changing surface tension by interfacial electrification also modifies phase-change kinetics, eliminating metastability that is the root of catastrophic electric discharges and destructive explosions. It also changes crystal habits, producing needles and dendrites that shorten battery life. These recent findings derive from a single factor, water's ability to electrify matter, touching on the most relevant aspects of chemistry. They create tremendous scientific opportunities to understand the matter better, and a new chemistry based on electrified interfaces is now emerging.

Busting the myth of spontaneous formation of H2O2 at the air-water interface: contributions of the liquid-solid interface and dissolved oxygen exposed

Recent reports on the spontaneous formation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at the air-water and solid-water interfaces challenge our current understanding of aquatic chemistry and have ramifications on atmosphere chemistry models, surface science, and green chemistry. Suggested mechanisms underlying this chemical transformation include ultrahigh instantaneous electric fields at the air-water interface and the oxidation of water and reduction of the solid at the solid-water interface. Here, we revisit this curious problem with NMR spectroscopy (with an H2O2 detection limit ≥50 nM) and pay special attention to the effects of nebulizing gas, dissolved oxygen content, and the solid-water interface on this chemical transformation in condensed and sprayed water microdroplets. Experiments reveal that the reduction of dissolved oxygen at the solid-water interface predominantly contributes to the H2O2 formation (not the oxidation of hydroxyl ions at the air-water interface or the oxidation of water at the solid-water interface). We find that the H2O2 formation is accompanied by the consumption (i.e., reduction) of dissolved oxygen and the oxidation of the solid surface, i.e., in the absence of dissolved oxygen, the formation of H2O2(aq) is not observed within the detection limit of ≥50 nM. Remarkably, the tendency of the solids investigated in this work towards forming H2O2 in water followed the same order as their positions in the classic Galvanic series. These findings bust the prevailing myths surrounding H2O2 formation due to the air-water interface, the ultrahigh electric fields therein, or the micro-scale of droplets. The hitherto unrealized role of the oxidation of the solid surface due to dissolved oxygen in the formation of H2O2 is exposed. These findings are especially relevant to corrosion science, surface science, and electrochemistry, among others.

Capturing Reactive Carbanions by Microdroplets

Carbanions appear in many organic or biological reactions as fleeting intermediates, prohibiting direct observation or spectroscopic measurement. An aqueous environment is known to rapidly annihilate a carbanion species, reducing its lifetime to as short as picoseconds. We report that aqueous microdroplets can capture and stabilize reactive carbanion intermediates isolated from four classic organic reactions, aldol and Knoevenagel condensations, alkyne alkylation, and the Reimer-Tiemann reaction, enabling the detection of their carbanion intermediates by desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. This is accomplished in real time of the reaction, allowing new insights into reaction mechanisms to be obtained. The efficacy of microdroplets in capturing such elusive species was examined by varying the solvent and the microdroplet negative charge density. We observed that microdroplets composed of water-methanol outperform other solvents, such as pure water, in capturing carbanions, which is in contrast to the earlier report that presented the highest performance of pure water microdroplets in capturing carbocations. We offer some mechanistic insights to explain the discriminatory behavior of these two oppositely charged species in microdroplets.

Zwitterions Layer at but Do Not Screen Electrified Interfaces

The role of ionic electrostatics in colloidal processes is well-understood in natural and applied contexts; however, the electrostatic contribution of zwitterions, known to be present in copious amounts in extremophiles, has not been extensively explored. In response, we studied the effects of glycine as a surrogate zwitterion, ion, and osmolyte on the electrostatic forces between negatively charged mica-mica and silica-silica interfaces. Our results reveal that while zwitterions layer at electrified interfaces and contribute to solutions' osmolality, they do not affect at all the surface potentials, the electrostatic surface forces (magnitude and range), and solutions' ionic conductivity across 0.3-30 mM glycine concentration. We infer that the zwitterionic structure imposes an inseparability among positive and negative charges and that this inseparability prevents the buildup of a counter-charge at interfaces. These elemental experimental results pinpoint how zwitterions enable extremophiles to cope with the osmotic stress without affecting finely tuned electrostatic force balance.

Destabilized Carbocations Caged in Water Microdroplets: Isolation and Real-Time Detection of α-Carbonyl Cation Intermediates

Over the last 50 years, proposals of α-carbonyl cation intermediates have been driven by chemical intuition and indirect evidence. Recently, wide interest in α-carbonyl cation chemistry has opened new gates to prepare α-functionalized carbonyl compounds. Though these intrinsically unstable carbocations are formed under forcing conditions (e.g., in a strong acid medium), their fleeting existence prohibits direct observation or spectroscopic measurement. We report that high-speed aqueous microdroplets can directly capture α-carbonyl cation intermediates from various reactions (Friedel-Crafts arylation, deoxygenation, and azidation) upon bombarding with the corresponding reaction aliquots. The α-carbonyl cations caged in water droplets are then desorbed to the gas phase, allowing their successful measurement by mass spectrometry. This has also enabled us to simultaneously monitor the relative abundance of the associated precursor, α-carbonyl cation intermediate, and product during the progress of the reaction.

CHEMICAL REACTION MONITORING BY AMBIENT MASS SPECTROMETRY

Chemical reactions conducted in different media (liquid phase, gas phase, or surface) drive developments of versatile techniques for the detection of intermediates and prediction of reasonable reaction pathways. Without sample pretreatment, ambient mass spectrometry (AMS) has been applied to obtain structural information of reactive molecules that differ in polarity and molecular weight. Commercial ion sources (e.g., electrospray ionization, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, and direct analysis in real-time) have been reported to monitor substrates and products by offline reaction examination. While the interception or characterization of reactive intermediates with short lifetime are still limited by the offline modes. Notably, online ionization technologies, with high tolerance to salt, buffer, and pH, can achieve direct sampling and ionization of on-going reactions conducted in different media (e.g., liquid phase, gas phase, or surface). Therefore, short-lived intermediates could be captured at unprecedented timescales, and the reaction dynamics could be studied for mechanism examinations without sample pretreatments. In this review, via various AMS methods, chemical reaction monitoring and mechanism elucidation for different classifications of reactions have been reviewed. The developments and advances of common ionization methods for offline reaction monitoring will also be highlighted.

Water Significantly Changes the Ring-Cleavage Process During Aqueous Photooxidation of Toluene

As a major constituent of aromatic compounds, toluene exists widely in environmental aqueous phases. This research investigated the aqueous-phase OH oxidation of toluene to determine how liquid water changes the radical chemistry of ring-cleavage pathways. Results show that ring-cleavage pathways through the C₇ bicyclic peroxy radical (BPR) account for about 70% of total aqueous-phase oxidation pathways, which is similar to that in the gas-phase oxidation. However, detailed ring-cleavage pathways in the aqueous phase change significantly compared with those in the gas phase as shown by the decreased production of glyoxal and methylglyoxal and the enhanced production of formic acid and acetic acid as primary products, which can be attributed to the presence of liquid water. Water facilitates the formation of the BPR whose structure is different from that in the gas-phase oxidation and results in different ring-cleavage pathways through hydrogen-shift reactions. Furthermore, water helps the hydration of acyl radicals formed by the BPR to produce organic acids. With the suggested ring-cleavage mechanisms, a box model can simulate aqueous-phase product distributions better than that with the classical ring-cleavage mechanisms. Given the influence of water on reaction mechanisms, aqueous-phase oxidation of hydrophobic organic compounds may be more important than previously assumed.

Molecular properties affecting the hydration of acid-base clusters

In the atmosphere, water in all phases is ubiquitous and plays important roles in catalyzing atmospheric chemical reactions, participating in cluster formation and affecting the composition of aerosol particles. Direct measurements of water-containing clusters are limited because water is likely to evaporate before detection, and therefore, theoretical tools are needed to study hydration in the atmosphere. We have studied thermodynamics and population dynamics of the hydration of different atmospherically relevant base monomers as well as sulfuric acid-base pairs. The hydration ability of a base seems to follow in the order of gas-phase base strength whereas hydration ability of acid-base pairs, and thus clusters, is related to the number of hydrogen binding sites. Proton transfer reactions at water-air interfaces are important in many environmental and biological systems, but a deeper understanding of their mechanisms remain elusive. By studying thermodynamics of proton transfer reactions in clusters containing up to 20 water molecules and a base molecule, we found that that the ability of a base to accept a proton in a water cluster is related to the aqueous-phase basicity. We also studied the second deprotonation reaction of a sulfuric acid in hydrated acid-base clusters and found that sulfate formation is most favorable in the presence of dimethylamine. Molecular properties related to the proton transfer ability in water clusters are discussed.

Electrification at water-hydrophobe interfaces

The mechanisms leading to the electrification of water when it comes in contact with hydrophobic surfaces remains a research frontier in chemical science. A clear understanding of these mechanisms could, for instance, aid the rational design of triboelectric generators and micro- and nano-fluidic devices. Here, we investigate the origins of the excess positive charges incurred on water droplets that are dispensed from capillaries made of polypropylene, perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane-coated glass, and polytetrafluoroethylene. Results demonstrate that the magnitude and sign of electrical charges vary depending on: the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the capillary; the presence/absence of a water reservoir inside the capillary; the chemical and physical properties of aqueous solutions such as pH, ionic strength, dielectric constant and dissolved CO2 content; and environmental conditions such as relative humidity. Based on these results, we deduce that common hydrophobic materials possess surface-bound negative charge. Thus, when these surfaces are submerged in water, hydrated cations form an electrical double layer. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the primary role of hydrophobicity is to facilitate water-substrate separation without leaving a significant amount of liquid behind. These results advance the fundamental understanding of water-hydrophobe interfaces and should translate into superior materials and technologies for energy transduction, electrowetting, and separation processes, among others.

Molecular reactions at aqueous interfaces

This Review aims to critically analyse the emerging field of chemical reactivity at aqueous interfaces. The subject has evolved rapidly since the discovery of the so-called 'on-water catalysis', alluding to the dramatic acceleration of reactions at the surface of water or at its interface with hydrophobic media. We review critical experimental studies in the fields of atmospheric and synthetic organic chemistry, as well as related research exploring the origins of life, to showcase the importance of this phenomenon. The physico-chemical aspects of these processes, such as the structure, dynamics and thermodynamics of adsorption and solvation processes at aqueous interfaces, are also discussed. We also present the basic theories intended to explain interface catalysis, followed by the results of advanced ab initio molecular-dynamics simulations. Although some topics addressed here have already been the focus of previous reviews, we aim at highlighting their interconnection across diverse disciplines, providing a common perspective that would help us to identify the most fundamental issues still incompletely understood in this fast-moving field.

Ultrafast enzymatic digestion of proteins by microdroplet mass spectrometry

Enzymatic digestion for protein sequencing usually requires much time, and does not always result in high sequence coverage. Here we report the use of aqueous microdroplets to accelerate enzymatic reactions and, in particular, to improve protein sequencing. When a room temperature aqueous solution containing 10 µM myoglobin and 5 µg mL⁻¹ trypsin is electrosonically sprayed (−3 kV) from a homemade setup to produce tiny (∼9 µm) microdroplets, we obtain 100% sequence coverage in less than 1 ms of digestion time, in sharp contrast to 60% coverage achieved by incubating the same solution at 37 °C for 14 h followed by analysis with a commercial electrospray ionization source that produces larger (∼60 µm) droplets. We also confirm the sequence of the therapeutic antibody trastuzumab (∼148 kDa), with a sequence coverage of 100% for light chains and 85% for heavy chains, demonstrating the practical utility of microdroplets in drug development.

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based protein sequencing usually relies on in-solution proteolytic digestion, which is time-consuming and inefficient for certain proteins. Here, the authors achieve full protein sequence coverage in less than 1 ms by subjecting protein-protease mixtures to electrosonic spray ionization-MS.

Interfacial Water Mediates Oligomerization Pathways of Monoterpene Carbocations

The air-water interface plays central roles in "on-droplet" synthesis, living systems, and the atmosphere; however, what makes reactions at the interface specific is largely unknown. Here, we examined carbocationic reactions of monoterpene (C₁₀H₁₆ isomer) on an acidic water microjet by using spray ionization mass spectrometry. Gaseous monoterpenes are trapped in the uppermost layers of a water surface via proton transfer and then undergo a chain-propagation reaction. The oligomerization pathway of β-pinene (β-P), which showed prompt chain-propagation, is examined by simultaneous exposure to camphene (CMP). (CMP)H⁺ is the most stable isomer formed via rearrangement of (β-P)H⁺ in the gas phase; however, no co-oligomerization was observed. This indicates that the oligomerization of (β-P)H⁺ proceeded via ring-opening isomerization. Quantum chemical calculations for [carbocation-(H₂O)_n=1,2] complexes revealed that the ring-opened isomer is stabilized by hydrogen-π bonds. We propose that partial hydration is a key factor that makes the interfacial reaction unique.

Effects of pH on Interfacial Ozonolysis of α-Terpineol

Acidity changes the physical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles and the mechanisms of reactions that occur therein and on the surface. Here, we used surface-sensitive pneumatic ionization mass spectrometry to investigate the effects of pH on the heterogeneous reactions of aqueous α-terpineol (C₁₀H₁₇OH), a representative monoterpene alcohol, with gaseous ozone. Rapid (≤10 μs) ozonolysis of α-terpineol produced Criegee intermediates (CIs, zwitterionic/diradical carbonyl oxides) on the surface of water microjets. We studied the effects of microjet bulk pH (1-11) on the formation of functionalized carboxylate and α-hydroxy-hydroperoxide chloride adduct (HH-Cl^-) products generated by isomerization and hydration of α-terpineol CIs, respectively. Compared with the signal at pH ≈ 6, the mass spectral signal of HH-Cl^- was less intense under both basic and more acidic conditions, whereas the intensity of the functionalized carboxylate signal increased with increasing pH up to 4 and then remained constant. The decrease of HH-Cl^- signals at bulk pH values of >6 is attributable to the accumulation of OH^- at the air-water interface that suppresses the relative abundance of hydrophilic HH and Cl^-. The present study suggests that α-terpineol in ambient aqueous organic aerosols will be converted into much lower volatile and potentially toxic organic hydroperoxides during the heterogeneous ozonolysis.

Reply to the 'Comment on "The chemical reactions in electrosprays of water do not always correspond to those at the pristine air-water interface"' by A. J. Colussi and S. Enami, Chem. Sci., 2019, , DOI: 10.1039/c9sc00991d

We explain why chemical reactions in/on electrosprays of water may not always represent those at the air–water interface. Thus, electrospray-based techniques cannot be relied upon as generalized “surface-specific” platforms for water.

The air–water interface serves as a crucial site for numerous chemical and physical processes in environmental science and engineering, such as cloud chemistry, ocean-atmosphere exchange, and wastewater treatment. The development of “surface-selective” techniques for probing interfacial properties of water therefore lies at the forefront of research in chemical science. Recently, researchers have adapted electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) to generate microdroplets of water to investigate interfacial phenomena at thermodynamic equilibrium. In contrast, using a broad set of experimental and theoretical techniques, we found that electrosprays of water could facilitate partially hydrated (gas-phase) ions (e.g., H₃O⁺·(H₂O)₂) to drive/catalyze chemical reactions that are otherwise not possible to accomplish by purely interfacial effects (e.g., enhanced water–hydrophobe surface area) (Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 2566). Thus, techniques exploiting electrosprays of water cannot be relied upon as generalized surface-selective platforms. Here, we respond to the comments raised by Colussi & Enami (Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, DOI: ; 10.1039/c9sc00991d) on our paper.

Comment on "The chemical reactions in electrosprays of water do not always correspond to those at the pristine air-water interface" by A. Gallo Jr, A. S. F. Farinha, M. Dinis, A.-H. Emwas, A. Santana, R. J. Nielsen, W. A. Goddard III and H. Mishra, Chem. Sci., 2019, , 2566

Recently, Gallo et al. (Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 2566) investigated whether the previously reported oligomerization of isoprene vapor on the surface of pH < 4 water in an electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometer (J. Phys. Chem. A, 2012, 116, 6027 and Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 15400) would also proceed in liquid isoprene-acidic water emulsions. Gallo et al. hypothesized that emulsified liquid isoprene would oligomerize on the surface of acidic water because, after all, isoprene, liquid or vapor, is always a hydrophobe. In their emulsion experiments, isoprene oligomers were to be detected by ex situ proton magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectrometry.

Interfacial vs Bulk Ozonolysis of Nerolidol

Ozone readily reacts with olefins with the formation of more reactive Criegee intermediates (CIs). The transient CIs impact HO _x cycles, and they play a role in new particle formation in the troposphere. Oxidation by O₃ occurs both in the gas-phase, in the liquid phase, and at air-water and air-aerosol interfaces. In light of the importance of O₃ in environmental and engineered chemical transformations, we have investigated the ozonolysis mechanisms of a triolefin C₁₅-alcohol, nerolidol (Nero, a biogenic sesquiterpene), at the air-water interface in the presence of acetonitrile. Surface-sensitive pneumatic ionization mass spectrometric detection of α-hydroxy-hydroperoxides and functionalized carboxylates, generated by the hydration and isomerization of CIs, respectively, enables us to evaluate the relative reactivity of each C=C toward O₃. In addition, we compare bulk-phase ozonolysis chemistry to similar reactions taking place at the air-water interface. Our experimental results show that O₃ reacts primarily with the (CH₃)₂C=CH- and -(CH₃)C=CH- moieties (>∼98%), while the O₃ attack on the terminal -HC=CH₂ site (<∼2%) is a minor pathway during both interfacial and bulk ozonolysis. The presence of functionalized-carboxylates on interfaces but not in bulk-phase reactions with O₃ indicates that the isomerization of the CIs is not hindered at the air-water interface due to the lower availability of water .

Detecting Intermediates and Products of Fast Heterogeneous Reactions on Liquid Surfaces via Online Mass Spectrometry

One of the research priorities in atmospheric chemistry is to advance our understanding of heterogeneous reactions and their effect on the composition of the troposphere. Chemistry on aqueous surfaces is particularly important because of their ubiquity and expanse. They range from the surfaces of oceans (360 million km2), cloud and aerosol drops (estimated at ~10 trillion km2) to the fluid lining the human lung (~150 m2). Typically, ambient air contains reactive gases that may affect human health, influence climate and participate in biogeochemical cycles. Despite their importance, atmospheric reactions between gases and solutes on aqueous surfaces are not well understood and, as a result, generally overlooked. New, surface-specific techniques are required that detect and identify the intermediates and products of such reactions as they happen on liquids. This is a tall order because genuine interfacial reactions are faster than mass diffusion into bulk liquids, and may produce novel species in low concentrations. Herein, we review evidence that validates online pneumatic ionization mass spectrometry of liquid microjets exposed to reactive gases as a technique that meets such requirements. Next, we call attention to results obtained by this approach on reactions of gas-phase ozone, nitrogen dioxide and hydroxyl radicals with various solutes on aqueous surfaces. The overarching conclusion is that the outermost layers of aqueous solutions are unique media, where most equilibria shift and reactions usually proceed along new pathways, and generally faster than in bulk water. That the rates and mechanisms of reactions at air-aqueous interfaces may be different from those in bulk water opens new conceptual frameworks and lines of research, and adds a missing dimension to atmospheric chemistry.

The chemical reactions in electrosprays of water do not always correspond to those at the pristine air-water interface

The recent application of electrosprays to characterize the air-water interface, along with the reports on dramatically accelerated chemical reactions in aqueous electrosprays, have sparked a broad interest. Herein, we report on complementary laboratory and in silico experiments tracking the oligomerization of isoprene, an important biogenic gas, in electrosprays and isoprene-water emulsions to differentiate the contributions of interfacial effects from those of high voltages leading to charge-separation and concentration of reactants in the electrosprays. To this end, we employed electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, ab initio calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. We found that the oligomerization of isoprene in aqueous electrosprays involved minimally hydrated and highly reactive hydronium ions. Those conditions, however, are non-existent at pristine air-water interfaces and oil-water emulsions under normal temperature and pressure. Thus, electrosprays should be complemented with surface-specific platforms and theoretical methods to reliably investigate chemistries at the pristine air-water interface.

Quantification of SO2 Oxidation on Interfacial Surfaces of Acidic Micro-Droplets: Implication for Ambient Sulfate Formation

Sulfate formation on the surface of aqueous microdroplets was investigated using a spray-chamber reactor coupled to an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer that was calibrated using Na₂SO₄(aq) as a function of pH. The observed formation of SO₃^-•, SO₄^-•, and HSO₄^- at pH < 3.5 without the addition of other oxidants indicates that an efficient oxidation pathway takes place involving direct interfacial electron transfer from SO₂ to O₂ on the surface of aqueous microdroplets. Compared to the well-studied sulfate formation kinetics via oxidation by H₂O₂(aq), the interfacial SO₄^2- formation rate on the surface of microdroplets was estimated to be proportional to the collision frequency of SO₂ with a pH-dependent efficiency factor of 5.6 × 10^-5[H⁺]^3.7/([H⁺]^3.7+10^-13.5). The rate via the acidic surface reactions is approximately 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than that by H₂O₂(aq) for a 1.0 ppbv concentration of H₂O₂( g) interacting with 50 μg/m³ of aerosols. This finding highlights the relative importance of the interfacial SO₂ oxidation in the atmosphere. Chemical reactions on the aquated aerosol surfaces are overlooked in most atmospheric chemistry models. This interfacial reaction pathway may help to explain the observed rapid conversion of SO₂ to sulfate in mega-cities and nearby regions with high PM2.5 haze aerosol loadings.

A novel combined chemical kinetic and trapping method for probing the relationships between chemical reactivity and interfacial H2O, Br- and H+ ion molarities in CTAB/C12E6 mixed micelles

A delicate balance-of-forces governs the interactions responsible for surfactant self-assembly and chemical reactivity within them. Chemical reactions in micellar media generally occur in the interfacial region of micelles that is a complex mixture of: water, headgroups, counterions, co-ions, acids or bases, organic solvents, and the reactants themselves. We have carried out a detailed study of a complex chemical reaction in mixed CTAB/C₁₂E₆ micelles by using the chemical kinetic (CK) and chemical trapping (CT) methods. The results provide a detailed quantitative treatment of the reaction of the anion of the antioxidant t-butylhydroquinone, TBHQ^-, with 4-hexadecylbenzenediazonium, 16-ArN₂⁺, within the interfacial region of the mixed micelles in the C₁₂E₆ mole fraction range of 0 to 1 at three different total surfactant concentrations. CK experiments showed that this reaction is monophasic in C₁₂E₆ micelles, but biphasic in mixed micelles. The results were fully consistent with a complex mechanism in which TBHQ^- reacts with 16-ArN₂⁺ to give a transient diazoether intermediate that competitively breaks down into products and or reverts to starting materials. The kinetics are the same in mixed micelles of CTAB/C₁₂E₆ (grow) and CTAB/C₁₂E₈ (don't grow) showing that the rates only depend on micelle composition, not shape. CT results provided estimates of interfacial molarities of H₂O are approximately constant at ca. 39 and Br^- decreases from ca. 2.75 to 0.05 moles per liter of interfacial volume as C₁₂E₆ mole fraction increases from 0 to 1. Combined CK/CT results provided values for interfacial pH, ranging from ca. 4.25 in cationic micelles to 1.5 in nonionic micelles despite a constant bulk pH of 1.5 and the TBHQ interfacial pK_a = 3.8 at all C₁₂E₆ molar fractions. In totality, these results yielded an extraordinary amount of quantitative information about the relationships between the chemical reactivity and interfacial compositions of the mixed micelles.

Chain-propagation, chain-transfer, and hydride-abstraction by cyclic carbocations on water surfaces

New mechanisms for the growth and increase in complexity of atmospheric aerosol particles are elucidated. The present findings will also be useful for interfacial polymer/oligomer synthesis.

Controlling factors of oligomerization at the water surface: why is isoprene such a unique VOC?

The interfacial oligomerization of isoprene is facilitated by the resonance stabilization through the formation of a tertiary carbocation with a conjugated CC bond pair, and electron enrichment induced by the neighboring methyl group.

Plant-derived Secondary Organic Material in the Air and Ecosystems

Biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and deposited secondary organic material (SOM) are formed by oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plants. Many SOA compounds have much longer chemical lifetimes than the original VOC, and may accumulate on plant surfaces and in soil as SOM because of their low volatility. This suggests that they may have important and presently unrecognized roles in plant adaptation. Using reactive plant terpenoids as a model we propose a three-tier (atmosphere-vegetation-soil) framework to better understand the ecological and evolutionary functions of SOM. In this framework, SOA in the atmosphere is known to affect solar radiation, SOM on the plant surfaces influences the interactive organisms, and wet and dry deposition of SOM on soil affects soil organisms.

Criegee Intermediates React with Levoglucosan on Water

Levoglucosan (Levo), a C₆-anhydrosaccharide produced in the combustion of cellulosic materials, is the major component of aerosols produced from biomass burning over vast regions worldwide. Levo has long been considered chemically inert and thus has been used as a tracer of biomass burning sources. However, we now show that sugars including Levo, glucose, arabitol, and mannitol react rapidly with Criegee intermediates (CIs) generated during the ozonolysis of sesquiterpenes on the surface of water:acetonitrile microjets. Hydrophilic Levo reacts faster with CIs than with water or surface-active 1-octanol at air-aqueous interfaces. This unexpected phenomenon is likely associated with the relatively low water density at air-aqueous interfaces coupled with a higher gas-phase acidity of the saccharide hydroxyl groups (i.e., -OH) versus n-alkanols. Results presented herein show that aerosol saccharides are in fact reactive toward CIs. Given the abundance of saccharides in the atmosphere, they may be important contributors to the growth and mass loading of secondary organic aerosols.

Reactions of Criegee Intermediates with Alcohols at Air-Aqueous Interfaces

The fate of Criegee intermediates (CIs) from the gas-phase ozonolysis of unsaturated organic compounds in the troposphere is largely controlled by their reactions with water vapor. We recently found that against all expectations carboxylic acids compete at millimolar concentrations with water for CIs at the air-liquid interface of aqueous organic media. This outcome is consistent with both the low water concentration in the outermost interfacial layers and the enrichment of the competing acids therein. Here we show, via online electrospray mass spectrometric detection, that CIs generated in situ in the fast ozonolysis of sesquiterpenes (C₁₅H₂₄) on the surface of water:acetonitrile microjets react with n ≥ 4 linear alcohols C_nH_2n+1OH to produce high molecular weight C_15+n ethers in one step. The OH group of 1-octanol proved to be ∼25 times less reactive than that of n-octanoic toward CIs at the same bulk molar concentration, revealing that the reactivity of hydroxylic species depends on both acidities and interfacial affinities. CI interfacial reactions with surface-active hydroxylic species, by bypassing water, represent shortcuts to molecular complexity in atmospheric aerosols.

Criegee Chemistry on Aqueous Organic Surfaces

In the troposphere, the fate of gas-phase Criegee intermediates (CIs) is deemed to be determined by their reactions with water molecules. Here it is shown that CIs produced in situ on the surface of water/acetonitrile (W/AN) solutions react competitively with millimolar carboxylic acids. Present experiments probe, via online electrospray mass spectrometry, CIs' chemistry on the surface of α-humulene and β-caryophyllene in W/AN microjets exposed to O₃(g) for <10 μs. Mass-specific identification lets us establish the progeny of products and intermediates generated in the early stages of CIs' reactions with H₂O, D₂O, H₂¹⁸O, and n-alkyl-COOH (n = 1-7). It is found that n-alkyl-COOH competes for CIs with interfacial water, their competitiveness being an increasing function of n. Present findings demonstrate that CIs can react with species other than H₂O on the surface of aqueous organic aerosols due to the low water concentrations prevalent in the outermost interfacial layers.

Efficient scavenging of Criegee intermediates on water by surface-active cis-pinonic acid

Criegee intermediates efficiently react with surface-active cis-pinonic acid rather than linear alkyl organic acids of similar size, or interfacial water molecules at air-aqueous interfaces.

Heterogeneous Reactions of Limonene on Mineral Dust: Impacts of Adsorbed Water and Nitric Acid

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), including the monoterpene limonene, are a major source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). While gas-phase oxidation initiates the dominant pathway for BVOC conversion to SOA, recent studies have demonstrated that biogenic hydrocarbons can also directly react with acidic droplets. To investigate whether mineral dust may facilitate similar reactive uptake of biogenic hydrocarbons, we studied the heterogeneous reaction of limonene with mineral substrates using condensed-phase infrared spectroscopy and identified the formation of irreversibly adsorbed organic products. For kaolinite, Arizona Test Dust, and silica at 30% relative humidity, GC-MS identified limonene-1,2-diol as the dominant product with total organic surface concentrations on the order of (3-5) × 10¹⁸ molecules m^-2. Experiments with ¹⁸O-labeled water support a mechanism initiated by oxidation of limonene by surface redox sites forming limonene oxide followed by water addition to the epoxide to form limonenediol. Limonene uptake on α-alumina, γ-alumina, and montmorillonite formed additional products in high yield, including carveol, carvone, limonene oxide, and α-terpineol. To model tropospheric processing of mineral aerosol, we also exposed each mineral substrate to gaseous nitric acid prior to limonene uptake and identified similar surface adsorbed products that were formed at rates 2 to 5 times faster than without nitrate coatings. The initial rate of reaction was linearly dependent on gaseous limonene concentration between 5 × 10¹² and 5 × 10¹⁴ molecules cm^-3 (0.22-20.5 ppm) consistent with an Eley-Rideal-type mechanism in which gaseous limonene reacts directly with reactive surface sites. Increasing relative humidity decreased the amount of surface adsorbed products indicating competitive adsorption of surface adsorbed water. Using a laminar flow tube reactor we measured the uptake coefficient for limonene on kaolinite at 25% RH to range from γ = 5.1 × 10^-6 to 9.7 × 10^-7. After adjusting for reactive surface areas, we estimate uptake coefficients for limonene on HNO₃-processed mineral aerosol on the order of (1-6) × 10^-6. Although this heterogeneous reaction will not impact the atmospheric lifetime of gaseous limonene, it does provide a new pathway for mineral aerosol to acquire secondary organic matter from biogenic hydrocarbons, which in turn will alter the physical properties of mineral dust.

"Sizing" Heterogeneous Chemistry in the Conversion of Gaseous Dimethyl Sulfide to Atmospheric Particles

The oxidation of biogenic dimethyl sulfide (DMS) emissions is a global source of cloud condensation nuclei. The amounts of the nucleating H2SO4(g) species produced in such process, however, remain uncertain. Hydrophobic DMS is mostly oxidized in the gas phase into H2SO4(g) + DMSO(g) (dimethyl sulfoxide), whereas water-soluble DMSO is oxidized into H2SO4(g) in the gas phase and into SO4(2-) + MeSO3(-) (methanesulfonate) on water surfaces. R = MeSO3(-)/(non-sea-salt SO4(2-)) ratios would therefore gauge both the strength of DMS sources and the extent of DMSO heterogeneous oxidation if Rhet = MeSO3(-)/SO4(2-) for DMSO(aq) + ·OH(g) were known. Here, we report that Rhet = 2.7, a value obtained from online electrospray mass spectra of DMSO(aq) + ·OH(g) reaction products that quantifies the MeSO3(-) produced in DMSO heterogeneous oxidation on aqueous aerosols for the first time. On this basis, the inverse R dependence on particle radius in size-segregated aerosol collected over Syowa station and Southern oceans is shown to be consistent with the competition between DMSO gas-phase oxidation and its mass accommodation followed by oxidation on aqueous droplets. Geographical R variations are thus associated with variable contributions of the heterogeneous pathway to DMSO atmospheric oxidation, which increase with the specific surface area of local aerosols.

Uptake and release of gaseous species accompanying the reactions of isoprene photo-oxidation products with sulfate particles

Uptake and release of gaseous species was observed for the reactions of isoprene photo-oxidation products and sulfate particles.

Going beyond electrospray: mass spectrometric studies of chemical reactions in and on liquids

There has been a burst in the number and variety of available ionization techniques to use mass spectrometry to monitor chemical reactions in and on liquids. Chemists have gained the capability to access chemistry at unprecedented timescales, and monitor reactions and detect intermediates under almost any set of conditions. Herein, recently developed ionization techniques that facilitate mechanistic studies of chemical processes are reviewed. This is followed by a discussion of our perspective on the judicious application of these and similar techniques in order to study reaction mechanisms.