Glycolaldehyde is produced during the atmospheric oxidation of isoprene and many other species, and is therefore found throughout the atmosphere. In large chamber experiments, glycine and AS seeds were found to take up glycolaldehyde and form SOA material in humid environments. After cloud processing, secondary organic aerosol particles were collected on Teflon filters, extracted with methanol, and analyzed by high-resolution UPLC-ESI-MS in positive ion mode. In experiments where methylamine gas was present in the chamber, many C4 – C16 imidazole derivatives were detected in the SOA extract. In experiments where mixed AS / glycolaldehyde seeds were generated and filtered without chamber exposure, C6 and C12 glycolaldehyde oligomers were the dominant aerosol-phase products. The preference for oligomerization into C6 units involves the sugar-like chemistry of key intermediate species <i>3</i>-deoxyglucosone, which is in equilibrium with a less-reactive cyclic structure.

Products of aqueous-phase reactions of glycolaldehyde with atmospheric amines and ammonium sulfate in a cloud simulation chamber

ACS Spring 2022

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