Analysis of secondary organic aerosols from ozonolysis of isoprene by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry

To understand the mechanism of formation of the secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) produced by the ozonolysis of isoprene, proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) was used to identify the semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) produced in both the gaseous and the aerosol phases and to estimate the gas–aerosol partitioning of each SVOC in chamber experiments. To aid in the identification of the SVOCs, the products were also studied with negative ion-chemical ionization mass spectrometry (NI-CIMS), which can selectively detect carboxylic acids and hydroperoxides. The gaseous products were observed by on-line PTR-MS and NI-CIMS, whereas the SVOCs in SOAs collected on a filter were vaporized by heating the filter and were then analysed by off-line PTR-MS and NI-CIMS. The formation of oligomeric hydroperoxides involving a Criegee intermediate as a chain unit was observed in both the gaseous and the aerosol phases by NI-CIMS. PTR-MS also detected oligomeric hydroperoxides as protonated molecules from which a H2O molecule was eliminated, [M−OH]+. In the aerosol phase, oligomers involving formaldehyde and methacrolein as chain units were observed by PTR-MS in addition to oligomeric hydroperoxides. The gas–aerosol partitioning of each component was calculated from the ion signals in the gaseous and aerosol phases measured by PTR-MS. From the gas–aerosol partitioning, the saturated vapour pressures of the oligomeric hydroperoxides were estimated. Measurements by a fast-mobility-particle-sizer spectrometer revealed that the increase of the number density of the particles was complete within a few hundred seconds from the start of the reaction.