Influence of NH3 on secondary organic aerosols from the ozonolysis and photooxidation of α-pinene in a flow reactor

•A new flow reactor (ID 15 cm x L 70 cm) was developed for studying SOA.•The reactor can simulate several days of photochemical aging in the atmosphere.•NH3 promoted the SOA yields and formed N-containing SOA species.•N-containing species enhanced the UV-vis absorbance and fluorescence of SOA.

This study presents detailed characterizations of a newly-developed flow reactor including (1) residence time distribution measurements, (2) relative humidity (RH) and temperature control, and (3) OH radical exposure range (i.e., atmospheric aging time). Hydroxyl (OH) radical exposures ranged from 8.20 × 1010 to 7.22 × 1011 molecules cm−3 s (0.5-4.9 d of atmospheric aging). In this study, the effects of NH3 gas on the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation of α-pinene by dark ozonolysis and photooxidation were investigated using the newly-developed flow reactor. For both dark α-pinene ozonolysis and photooxidation, higher SOA yields were observed in the presence of NH3 than in the absence of NH3. At RH of ∼50%, the SOA yield for ozonolysis and photooxidation in the presence of NH3 increased by 23% and 15% relative to those in the absence of NH3. Similar effects were observed at lower and higher RH conditions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of nitrogen-containing functional groups in SOA formed in the presence of NH3. The α-pinene SOA formed in the presence of NH3 showed higher absorption and fluorescence for UV-visible radiation than those formed in the absence of NH3.

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