Variability in Aromatic Aerosol Yields under Very Low NOx Conditions at Different HO2/RO2 Regimes

Current chemical transport models generally use a constant secondary organic aerosol (SOA) yield to represent SOA formation from aromatic compounds under low NO_x conditions. However, a wide range of SOA yields (10 to 42%) from m-xylene under low NO_x conditions is observed in this study. The chamber HO₂/RO₂ ratio is identified as a key factor explaining SOA yield variability: higher SOA yields are observed for runs with a higher HO₂/RO₂ ratio. The RO₂ + RO₂ pathway, which can be increasingly significant under low NO_x and HO₂/RO₂ conditions, shows a lower SOA-forming potential compared to the RO₂ + HO₂ pathway. While the traditional low-NO_x chamber experiments are commonly used to represent the RO₂ + HO₂ pathway, this study finds that the impacts of the RO₂ + RO₂ pathway cannot be ignored under certain conditions. We provide guidance on how to best control for these two pathways in conducting chamber experiments to best obtain SOA yield curves and quantify the contributions from each pathway. On the global scale, the chemical transport model GEOS-Chem is used to identify regions characterized by lower surface HO₂/RO₂ ratios, suggesting that the RO₂ + RO₂ pathway is more likely to prove significant to overall SOA yields in those regions. Current models generally do not consider the RO₂ + RO₂ impacts on aromatic SOA formation, but preliminary sensitivity tests with updated SOA yield parameters based on such a pathway suggest that without this consideration, some types of SOA may be overestimated in regions with lower HO₂/RO₂ ratios.

Atmospheric chemistry of CF2ClO2: a theoretical study on mechanisms and kinetics of the CF2ClO2 + HO2 reaction

The singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces of the HO2 with CF2ClO2 reaction have been probed at the BMC-CCSD/cc-pVTZ level according to the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level obtained geometrical structure. On the singlet PES, the association/dissociation, direct H- abstraction, and SN2 displacement mechanisms have been taken into account. On the triplet PES, SN2 displacement and indirect H- abstraction reaction mechanisms have been investigated and the H- abstraction channel makes more contribution to the CF2ClO2 with HO2 reaction. The rate constants have been computed at 10-10 to 1010 atm and 200-3000 K by RRKM-TST theory. The results show that at T ≤ 600 K, the generation of IM1 (CF2ClO4H) by collisional deactivation is dominant pathway; at high temperatures, the production of P8 (CF2ClOOH + O2(3Σ)) becomes predominate. The predicted data for CF2ClO2 + HO2 agrees closely with available experimental value. Moreover, OH radicals act as inhibitors in the CF2ClOOH→CF2O + HOCl and CF2ClOOH→CFClO + HOF reactions. The dominant products for the reaction of CF2ClOOH + OH are CF2ClO2 + H2O.

Computational investigations on the HO2 + CHBr2O2 reaction: mechanisms, products, and atmospheric implications

Using quantum chemistry methods, mechanisms and products of the CHBr₂O₂ + HO₂ reaction in the atmosphere were investigated theoretically. Computational result indicates that the dominant product is CHBr₂OOH + O₂ formed on the triplet potential energy surface (PES). While CBr₂O + OH + HO₂ produced on the singlet PES is subdominant to the overall reaction under the typical atmospheric condition below 300 K. Due to higher energy barriers surmounted, other products including CBr₂O₂ + H₂O₂, CBr₂O + HO₃H, CH₂O + HO₃Br, CHBrO + HO₃ + Br, and CHBr₂OH + O₃ make minor contributions to the overall reaction. In the presence of OH radical, CHBr₂OOH generates CHBr₂O₂ and CBr₂O₂ + H₂O subsequently, which enters into new Br-cycle in the atmosphere. The substitution effect of alkyl group and halogens plays negligible roles to the dominant products in the RO₂ + HO₂ (X = H, CH₃, CH₂OH, CH₂F, CH₂Cl, CH₂Br, CH₂Cl, and CH₂Br) reactions in the atmosphere.

Theoretical Study of the C₂H₅ + HO₂ Reaction: Mechanism and Kinetics

The mechanism and kinetics for the reaction of the HO₂ radical with the ethyl (C₂H₅) radical have been investigated theoretically. The electronic structure information of the potential energy surface (PES) is obtained at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory, and the single-point energies are refined by the CCSD(T)/6-311+G(3df,2p) level of theory. The kinetics of the reaction with multiple channels have been studied by applying variational transition-state theory (VTST) and Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus (RRKM) theory over wide temperature and pressure ranges (T = 220–3000 K; P = 1 × 10⁻⁴–100 bar). The calculated results show that the HO₂ radical can attack C₂H₅ via a barrierless addition mechanism to form the energy-rich intermediate IM1 C₂H₅OOH (68.7 kcal/mol) on the singlet PES. The collisional stabilization intermediate IM1 is the predominant product of the reaction at high pressures and low temperatures, while the bimolecular product P₁ C₂H₅O + OH becomes the primary product at lower pressures or higher temperatures. At the experimentally measured temperature 293 K and in the whole pressure range, the reaction yields P₁ as major product, which is in good agreement with experiment results, and the branching ratios are predicted to change from 0.96 at 1 × 10⁻⁴ bar to 0.66 at 100 bar. Moreover, the direct H-abstraction product P₁₆ C₂H₆ + ³O₂ on the triplet PES is the secondary feasible product with a yield of 0.04 at the collisional limit of 293 K. The present results will be useful to gain deeper insight into the understanding of the kinetics of the C₂H₅ + HO₂ reaction under atmospheric and practical combustion conditions.

Optimizing Complex Kinetics Experiments Using Least-Squares Methods

Complex kinetic problems are generally modeled employing numerical integration routines. Our kinetics modeling program, Acuchem, has been modified to fit rate constants and absorption coefficients generically to real or synthesized "laboratory data" via a least-squares iterative procedure written for personal computers. To test the model and method of analysis the self- and cross-combination reactions of HO2 and CH3O2 radicals of importance in atmospheric chemistry are examined. These radicals as well as other species absorb ultraviolet radiation. The resultant absorption signal is measured in the laboratory and compared with a modeled signal to obtain the best-fit to various kinetic parameters. The modified program generates synthetic data with added random noise. An analysis of the synthetic data leads to an optimization of the experimental design and best-values for certain rate constants and absorption coefficients.