While tropospheric ozone is produced from organic peroxy radical oxidation of NO to NO2, a relatively minor side reaction is incorporation of that NO into a stable organic nitrate product. This path sequesters NOx, removes radicals, and creates an N-containing product of lower vapor pressure and greater water solubility, and thus a potential particle-phase product. The importance of the RONO2 pathway increases with the size of the organic moiety. Since biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are typically highly reactive with the OH radical, and often relatively large molecules, RONO2 production from BVOCs is very important in essentially all forest-impacted boundary layer environments. But, because of the difficulty in handling these compounds, preparing gas phase standards, and separation from other species, quantitative determination of BVOC-nitrates has been elusive. However, recent developments in chemical ionization mass spectrometry have enabled reliable atmospheric measurements of a range of these species for the first time. This talk will include a review of what is known about mechanistic details, the structural dependence of organic nitrate yields, and subsequent chemistry and potential impacts on the biosphere. It will finish with presentation of recent observations of BVOC-nitrates during the Southern Oxidants and Aerosol Study in Alabama in the summer of 2013, and the impact of the production of these species on ozone and aerosols.

New insights into the impact of organic nitrate production on ozone, aerosols, and the biosphere

248th National Meeting (2014)

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