Application of chemical derivatization techniques combined with chemical ionization mass spectrometry to detect stabilized Criegee intermediates and peroxy radicals in the gas phase

<p>Short-lived highly reactive atmospheric species, such as organic peroxy radicals (<span class="inline-formula">RO<sub>2</sub></span>) and stabilized Criegee intermediates (SCIs), play an important role in controlling the oxidative removal and transformation...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: A. Zaytsev, M. Breitenlechner, A. Novelli, H. Fuchs, D. A. Knopf, J. H. Kroll, F. N. Keutsch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2021-03-01
Series:Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Online Access:https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/14/2501/2021/amt-14-2501-2021.pdf
Description
Summary:<p>Short-lived highly reactive atmospheric species, such as organic peroxy radicals (<span class="inline-formula">RO<sub>2</sub></span>) and stabilized Criegee intermediates (SCIs), play an important role in controlling the oxidative removal and transformation of many natural and anthropogenic trace gases in the atmosphere. Direct speciated measurements of these components are extremely helpful for understanding their atmospheric fate and impact. We describe the development of an online method for measurements of SCIs and <span class="inline-formula">RO<sub>2</sub></span> in laboratory experiments using chemical derivatization and spin trapping techniques combined with <span class="inline-formula">H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup></span> and <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="chem"><msubsup><mi mathvariant="normal">NH</mi><mn mathvariant="normal">4</mn><mo>+</mo></msubsup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="dd01b19a584d9ff35339d41174090f98"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="amt-14-2501-2021-ie00001.svg" width="24pt" height="15pt" src="amt-14-2501-2021-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg></span></span> chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS). Using chemical derivatization agents with low proton affinity, such as electron-poor carbonyls, we scavenge all SCIs produced from a wide range of alkenes without depleting CIMS reagent ions. Comparison between our measurements and results from numeric modeling, using a modified version of the Master Chemical Mechanism, shows that the method can be used for the quantification of SCIs in laboratory experiments with a detection limit of <span class="inline-formula">1.4×10<sup>7</sup></span> molecule cm<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−3</sup></span> for an integration time of 30 s with the instrumentation used in this study. We show that spin traps are highly reactive towards atmospheric radicals and form stable adducts with them by studying the gas-phase kinetics of the reaction of spin traps with the hydroxyl radical (OH). We also demonstrate that spin trap adducts with SCIs and <span class="inline-formula">RO<sub>2</sub></span> can be simultaneously probed and quantified under laboratory conditions with a detection limit of <span class="inline-formula">1.6×10<sup>8</sup></span> molecule cm<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−3</sup></span> for an integration time of 30 s for <span class="inline-formula">RO<sub>2</sub></span> species with the instrumentation used in this study. Spin trapping prevents radical secondary reactions and cycling, ensuring that measurements are not biased by chemical interferences, and it can be implemented for detecting <span class="inline-formula">RO<sub>2</sub></span> species in laboratory studies and potentially in the ambient atmosphere.</p>
ISSN:1867-1381
1867-8548