Small organic compounds such as alcohols have been detected in snow and in the gas phase above snow. The purpose of this experiment is to analyze how alcohols partition between the gas phase and snow surfaces. The two methods used were a static headspace gas experiment and a dynamic flow tube experiment. For the static method, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to quantify 1-pentanol vapor in the headspace gas over artificial snow and liquid solutions (-15.0oC to 15.0oC). The equilibrium of pentanol between the gas and snow surface varied with surface area and temperature. The pressure of 1-pentanol over artificial snow that had been doped with alcohol increased with temperature. For large snow grains, the average pressure increased as the temperature increased. For smaller snow grains, the average pressure decreased from -5.0oC to -2.0oC, possibly due to more liquid covering the snow surface. In the dynamic method, gaseous ethanol in air was flowed through artificial snow in a flow tube while the gas phase was monitored by mass spectrometry. After removing the gaseous ethanol flow, the decay of ethanol signal over time was monitored, similar to a bubble column Henry’s Law experiment. Comparison of data from both methods will be discussed. Snow-atmosphere chemistry models can be improved by using empirical measurements of organic gas partitioning like the ones presented here.

Partitioning of 1-pentanol and ethanol to artificial snow surfaces

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.