Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) are of great interest because of their impacts on health, visibility, and climate.  Predicting their impacts requires knowledge of their chemical composition.  However, with most techniques, it is difficult to obtain real time, in situ information about the composition of SOA.  We report the use of extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EESI-MS) to elucidate the composition of SOA formed by the reaction of a-pinene with ozone in a Teflon chamber.  This technique is carried out at ambient pressures and temperatures with no processing of the sample.  The EESI mass spectra of SOA and polyethylene glycol (a common standard compound for MS) are compared to those obtained using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and atmospheric solids analysis probe mass spectrometry (ASAP-MS).  In addition, the effects of solvent composition and ionizing agent on the EESI mass spectra are explored.

Comparison of extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to other techniques for studying the composition of secondary organic aerosols

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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