RUI: Investigation of the Solubilities and Glass Formation Properties of Carboxylate Salts Important in the Upper Troposphere

University Of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse WI

Investigators

Abstract

This Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) project, co-funded by the Atmospheric Chemistry Program and the Environmental Chemical Science Program, is focused on laboratory experiments to measure important physical and chemical properties of selected chemical species that mimic the behavior of small particles and aerosol found in atmosphere. These properties are important for modeling cloud and ice formation and are needed for improving weather and climate models. Measurements are being made of the temperature dependent solubilities and glass transition temperatures as a function of concentration for aqueous organic acid/metals/ammonium sulfate solutions that contain solutes relevant for understanding the behavior of upper tropospheric aerosols. Properties of glassy organic acid salts and their mixtures with ammonium sulfate are of special interest because recent research suggests that glassy organic aerosol particles are effective at forming ice nuclei. The results of this effort will be used in climate models to make better predictions of how clouds and ice in the atmosphere influence climate.