Volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere such as terpenes released from trees, can be converted to organonitrates by radical reaction with NO3 or by reaction of RO2 with NO2. Three classes of nitrate compounds, peroxy alkyl nitrates (PANs), alkyl nitrates (ANs), and nitric acid (HNO3­), can be detected using a thermal dissociation-cavity ringdown spectrometry (TD-CRDS) instrument constructed in the style of Day et al (2002). A series of four quartz ovens set to known dissociation temperatures is attached to the inlet of a Los Gatos Research NO2 CRDS. The difference in NO2 concentrations in between channels quantitatively represents the ambient concentration of the three specific classes of nitrates. This instrument has been newly constructed and calibrated to detect the abundances and types of organic nitrates in the laboratory and field; preliminary measurements from the Reed Environmental Chamber and ambient measurements in Portland, OR will be presented.

Detecting organic nitrates using thermal dissociation cavity ringdown spectrometry

249th National Meeting (2015)

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