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We have used the COSMOtherm program to estimate activity coefficients and solubilities of mono- and α,ω-dicarboxylic acids and water in binary acid–water systems. The deviation from ideality was found to be larger in the systems containing larger acids than in the systems containing smaller acids. COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS) underestimates experimental monocarboxylic acid activity coefficients by less than a factor of 2, but experimental water activity coefficients are underestimated more especially at high acid mole fractions. We found a better agreement between COSMOtherm-estimated and experimental activity coefficients of monocarboxylic acids when the water clustering with a carboxylic acid and itself was taken into account using the dimerization, aggregation, and reaction extension (COSMO-RS-DARE) of COSMOtherm. COSMO-RS-DARE is not fully predictive, but fit parameters found here for water–water and acid–water clustering interactions can be used to estimate thermodynamic properties of monocarboxylic acids in other aqueous solvents, such as salt solutions. For the dicarboxylic acids, COSMO-RS is sufficient for predicting aqueous solubility and activity coefficients, and no fitting to experimental values is needed. This is highly beneficial for applications to atmospheric systems, as these data are typically not available for a wide range of mixing states realized in the atmosphere, due to a lack of either feasibility of the experiments or sample availability. Based on effective equilibrium constants of different clustering reactions in the binary solutions, acid dimer formation is more dominant in systems containing larger dicarboxylic acids (C5–C8), while for monocarboxylic acids (C1–C6) and smaller dicarboxylic acids (C2–C4), hydrate formation is more favorable, especially in dilute solutions.

We have used COSMO-RS (the conductor-like screening model for real solvents), as implemented in the COSMOtherm program, to compute the saturation vapor pressures at 298 K of two photo-oxidation products of isoprene: the dihydroxy dihydroperoxide C₅H₁₂O₆, and the dihydroperoxy hydroxy aldehyde, C₅H₁₀O₆. The predicted saturation vapor pressures were significantly higher (by up to a factor of 1000) than recent experimental results, very likely due to the overestimation of the effects of intramolecular hydrogen bonds, which tend to increase saturation vapor pressures by stabilizing molecules in the gas phase relative to the liquid. Modifying the hydrogen bond enthalpy parameter used by COSMOtherm can improve the agreement with experimental results — however the optimal parameter value is likely to be system-specific. Alternatively, vapor pressure predictions can be substantially improved (to within a factor of 5 of the experimental values for the two systems studied here) by selecting only conformers with a minimum number of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The computed saturation vapor pressures were very sensitive to the details of the conformational sampling approach, with the default scheme implemented in the COSMOconf program proving insufficient for the task, for example by predicting significant differences between enantiomers, which should have identical physical properties. Even after exhaustive conformational sampling, COSMOtherm predicts significant differences in saturation vapor pressures between both structural isomers and diastereomers. For C₅H₁₂O₆, predicted differences in psat between structural isomers are up to 2 orders of magnitude, and differences between stereoisomers are up to a factor of 20 — though these differences are very likely exaggerated by the overestimation of the effect of intramolecular H-bonds. For C₅H₁₂O₆, the maximum predicted differences between the three studied structural isomers and their diastereomer pairs are around a factor of 8 and a factor of 2, respectively, when only conformers lacking intramolecular hydrogen bonds are included in the calculations. In future studies of saturation vapor pressures of polyfunctional atmospheric oxidation products using COSMOtherm, we recommend first performing thorough conformational sampling and subsequently selecting conformers with a minimal number of intramolecular H-bonds.

Amines are bases that originate from both anthropogenic and natural sources, and they are recognized as candidates to participate in atmospheric aerosol particle formation together with sulfuric acid. Monomethylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine (MMA, DMA, and TMA, respectively) have been shown to enhance sulfuric acid‐driven particle formation more efficiently than ammonia, but both theory and laboratory experiments suggest that there are differences in their enhancing potentials. However, as quantitative concentrations and thermochemical properties of different amines remain relatively uncertain, and also for computational reasons, the compounds have been treated as a single surrogate amine species in large‐scale modeling studies. In this work, the differences and similarities of MMA, DMA, and TMA are studied by simulations of molecular cluster formation from sulfuric acid, water, and each of the three amines. Quantum chemistry‐based cluster evaporation rate constants are applied in a cluster population dynamics model to yield cluster concentrations and formation rates at boundary layer conditions. While there are differences, for instance, in the clustering mechanisms and cluster hygroscopicity for the three amines, DMA and TMA can be approximated as a lumped species. Formation of nanometer‐sized particles and its dependence on ambient conditions is roughly similar for these two: both efficiently form clusters with sulfuric acid, and cluster formation is rather insensitive to changes in temperature and relative humidity. Particle formation from sulfuric acid and MMA is weaker and significantly more sensitive to ambient conditions. Therefore, merging MMA together with DMA and TMA introduces inaccuracies in sulfuric acid‐amine particle formation schemes.

International audience; We study the ammonia addition reactions of H2SO4·NH3 molecular clusters containing up to four ammonia and two sulfuric acid molecules using the ab initio method RI-MP2 (Resolution of Identity 2nd order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory). Together with results from previous studies, we use the computed values to estimate an upper limit for the ammonia content of small atmospheric clusters, without having to explicitly include water molecules in the quantum chemical simulations. Our results indicate that the NH3:H2SO4 mole ratio of small molecular clusters in typical atmospheric conditions is probably around 1:2. High ammonia concentrations or low temperatures may lead to the formation of ammonium bisulfate (1:1) clusters, but our results rule out the formation of ammonium sulfate clusters (2:1) anywhere in the atmosphere. A sensitivity analysis indicates that the qualitative conclusions of this study are not affected even by relatively large errors in the calculation of electronic energies or vibrational frequencies.

It has been postulated that secondary organic particulate matter plays a pivotal role in the early growth of newly formed particles in forest areas. The recently detected class of extremely low volatile organic compounds (ELVOC) provides the missing organic vapours and possibly contributes a~significant fraction to atmospheric SOA. ELVOC are highly oxidized multifunctional molecules (HOM), formed by sequential rearrangement of peroxy radicals and subsequent O2 addition. Key for efficiency in early particle growth is that formation of HOM is induced by one attack of the oxidant (here O3) and followed by an autoxidation process involving molecular oxygen. Similar mechanisms were recently observed and predicted by quantum mechanical calculations e.g. for isoprene. To assess the atmospheric importance and therewith the potential generality, it is crucial to understand the formation pathway of HOM.To elucidate the formation path of HOM as well as necessary and sufficient structural prerequisites of their formation we studied homologues series of cycloalkenes in comparison to two monoterpenes. We were able to directly observe highly oxidized multifunctional peroxy radicals with 8 or 10 O-atoms by an Atmospheric Pressure interface High Resolution Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer equipped with a NO3−-Chemical Ionization (CI) source. In case of O3 acting as oxidant the starting peroxy radical is formed on the so called vinylhydroperoxide path. HOM peroxy radicals and their termination reactions with other peroxy radicals, including dimerization, allowed for analysing the observed mass spectra and narrow down the likely formation path. As consequence we propose that HOM are multifunctional percarboxylic acids; with carbonyl-, hydroperoxy-, or hydroxy-groups arising from the termination steps. We figured that aldehyde groups facilitate the initial rearrangement steps. In simple molecules like cyloalkenes autoxidation was limited to both terminal C-atoms and two further C-atoms in the respective α-positions. In more complex molecules containing tertiary H-atoms or small constraint rings even higher oxidation degree were possible, either by simple H-shift of the tertiary H-atom or by initialisation of complex ring-opening reactions.

Oxidation processes in Earth's atmosphere are tightly connected to many environmental and human health issues and are essential drivers for biogeochemistry. Until the recent discovery of the atmospheric relevance of the reaction of stabilized Criegee intermediates (sCIs) with SO2, atmospheric oxidation processes were thought to be dominated by a few main oxidants: ozone, hydroxyl radicals (OH), nitrate radicals and, e.g. over oceans, halogen atoms such as chlorine. Here, we report results from laboratory experiments at 293 K and atmospheric pressure focusing on sCI formation from the ozonolysis of isoprene and the most abundant monoterpenes (α-pinene and limonene), and subsequent reactions of the resulting sCIs with SO2 producing sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The measured total sCI yields were (0.15 ± 0.07), (0.27 ± 0.12) and (0.58 ± 0.26) for α-pinene, limonene and isoprene, respectively. The ratio between the rate coefficient for the sCI loss (including thermal decomposition and the reaction with water vapour) and the rate coefficient for the reaction of sCI with SO2, k(loss) /k(sCI + SO2), was determined at relative humidities of 10 and 50%. Observed values represent the average reactivity of all sCIs produced from the individual alkene used in the ozonolysis. For the monoterpene-derived sCIs, the relative rate coefficients k(loss) / k(sCI + SO2) were in the range (2.0–2.4) × 1012 molecules cm−3 and nearly independent of the relative humidity. This fact points to a minor importance of the sCI + H2O reaction in the case of the sCI arising from α-pinene and limonene. For the isoprene sCIs, however, the ratio k(loss) / k(sCI + SO2) was strongly dependent on the relative humidity. To explore whether sCIs could have a more general role in atmospheric oxidation, we investigated as an example the reactivity of acetone oxide (sCI from the ozonolysis of 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene) toward small organic acids, i.e. formic and acetic acid. Acetone oxide was found to react faster with the organic acids than with SO2; k(sCI + acid) / k(sCI + SO2) = (2.8 ± 0.3) for formic acid, and k(sCI + acid) / k(sCI + SO2) = (3.4 ± 0.2) for acetic acid. This finding indicates that sCIs can play a role in the formation and loss of other atmospheric constituents besides SO2.

Sulphuric acid is a key component in atmospheric new particle formation. However, sulphuric acid alone does not form stable enough clusters to initiate particle formation in atmospheric conditions. Strong bases, such as amines, have been suggested to stabilize sulphuric acid clusters and thus participate in particle formation. We modelled the formation rate of clusters with two sulphuric acid and two amine molecules (JA2B2) at varying atmospherically relevant conditions with respect to concentrations of sulphuric acid ([H2SO4]), dimethylamine ([DMA]) and trimethylamine ([TMA]), temperature and relative humidity (RH). We also tested how the model results change if we assume that the clusters with two sulphuric acid and two amine molecules would act as seeds for heterogeneous nucleation of organic vapours (other than amines) with higher atmospheric concentrations than sulphuric acid. The modelled formation rates JA2B2 were functions of sulphuric acid concentration with close to quadratic dependence, which is in good agreement with atmospheric observations of the connection between the particle formation rate and sulphuric acid concentration. The coefficients KA2B2 connecting the cluster formation rate and sulphuric acid concentrations as JA2B2=KA2B2[H2SO4]2 turned out to depend also on amine concentrations, temperature and relative humidity. We compared the modelled coefficients KA2B2 with the corresponding coefficients calculated from the atmospheric observations (Kobs) from environments with varying temperatures and levels of anthropogenic influence. By taking into account the modelled behaviour of JA2B2 as a function of [H2SO4], temperature and RH, the atmospheric particle formation rate was reproduced more closely than with the traditional semi-empirical formulae based on sulphuric acid concentration only. The formation rates of clusters with two sulphuric acid and two amine molecules with different amine compositions (DMA or TMA or one of both) had different responses to varying meteorological conditions and concentrations of vapours participating in particle formation. The observed inverse proportionality of the coefficient Kobs with RH and temperature agreed best with the modelled coefficient KA2B2 related to formation of a cluster with two H2SO4 and one or two TMA molecules, assuming that these clusters can grow in collisions with abundant organic vapour molecules. In case this assumption is valid, our results suggest that the formation rate of clusters with at least two of both sulphuric acid and amine molecules might be the rate-limiting step for atmospheric particle formation. More generally, our analysis elucidates the sensitivity of the atmospheric particle formation rate to meteorological variables and concentrations of vapours participating in particle formation (also other than H2SO4).

An ab initio study of gaseous clusters of O2− and O2− with water is presented. Based on thorough scans of configurational space, we determine the thermodynamics of cluster growth. The results are in good agreement with benchmark computational methods and existing experimental data. We find that anionic O2−(H2O)n and O3−(H2O)n clusters are thermally stabilized at typical atmospheric conditions for at least n = 5. The first 4 water molecules are strongly bound to the anion due to delocalization of the excess charge while stabilization of more than 4 H2O is due to normal hydrogen bonding. Although clustering up to 12 H2O, we find that the O2 and O3 anions retain at least ca. 80 % of the charge and are located at the surface of the cluster. The O2− and O3− speicies are thus accessible for further reactions. Finally, the thermodynamics of a few relevant cluster reactions are considered.

We present the longest series of measurements so far (2 years and 7 months) made with an Ion-DMPS at the SMEAR II measurement station in Hyytiälä, Southern Finland. We show that the classification of overcharged (implying some participation of ion-induced nucleation) and undercharged (implying no or very little participation of ion-induced nucleation) days based on Ion-DMPS measurements agrees with the fraction of ion-induced nucleation based on NAIS measurements. We analyzed the influence of different parameters on the contribution of ion-induced nucleation to the total particle formation rate. We found that the fraction of ion-induced nucleation is typically higher on warmer, drier and sunnier days compared to colder days with less solar radiation and a higher relative humidity. Also, we observed that bigger concentrations of new particles were produced on days with a smaller fraction of ion-induced nucleation. Moreover, sulfuric acid concentrations were smaller for days with a bigger fraction of ion-induced nucleation. Finally, we propose tentative explanations on how these different parameters influence the different nucleation mechanisms, and show that the different mechanisms seem to take place at the same time during an event. The relative contribution of the different mechanisms seems to vary depending on the surrounding conditions.