Hydroperoxide, Nitrate, and Epoxide Chemistry of Biogenically-produced Alkenes

California Institute Of Technology, Pasadena CA

Investigators

Abstract

This research is a component of a broad community experiment named SOAS (Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study) designed to further investigate the photo-oxidation of the emissions (biogenic volatile organic compounds; BVOCs) of plants in the context of the atmospheric environment of the Southeast United States. The project will investigate the photochemistry of the dominant biogenic alkenes and their oxidation products, during a collaborative field experiment planned for summer, 2013 in Alabama. This site was chosen as a region where substantial BVOCs from vegetation mix with variable amounts of NOx and SOx oxidants emitted from power generation sites and other anthropogenic sources, covering a wide range of the natural reactivity exhibited by these compounds. As well as the generation of photochemical smog through ozone formation, the subsequent oxidation products from BVOCs may contribute to the atmospheric burden of secondary aerosols, which have been implicated in regional climate forcing. Both the impacts on human health and human well being through climate change make the study of these compounds and particles a key aspect of current atmospheric chemical investigation.